• 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 


"  'YOU    ARE    ENGLISH?'    SHE    INQUIRED,    GAZING    AT    HIM    SERIOUSLY." 

FRONTISPIECE.     See  p.  59 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 


BY 

H.  B.  MARRIOTT  WATSON 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  CASTLE  BY  THE  SEA,"  "HURRICANE 
ISLAND/'  "THE  PRIVATEERS,"  ETC. 


WITH    FRONTISPIECE    BY 

F.  GRAHAM  COOTES 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 
1911 


Copyright,  1910,  1911, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 

All  rights  reserved 
Published,  February,  1911 


THE   UNIVERSITY    PRESS,    CAMBRIDGE,    U.  8.  A. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN 1 

II.  THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE 17 

III.  THE  TELEGRAM 32 

IV.  ONE  KETSCHINSKI 47 

V.  THE  STAR  CHAMBER 64 

VI.  THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST 79 

VII.  PROCLAMATION  DAY 96 

VIII.  THE  WHARF 110 

IX.  MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD     ....  123 

X.  TENNIS  AND  TEA 138 

XI.  SOME  INTRIGUES 149 

XII.  A  RESCUE 161 

XIII.  THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK    .     .     .     .  173 

XIV.  THE  REGENT'S  GUEST 187 

XV.  THE  CAR  BEHIND 200 

XVI.  PIECES  IN  THE  PUZZLE  .  213 


2229454 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVII.   THE  CHALET  OF  KROON 225 

XVIII.  THE  CAPTURE 240 

XIX.  THE  REGENT  SIGNS 255 

XX.  DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE 268 

XXI.  SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE  .  .  .  281 

XXII.   ALISE  SOLVES  HERS    .              .  297 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

CHAPTER  I 

THE    UNKNOWN    WOMAN 

PHILIP  TEMPLE  had  the  carriage  to  himself 
as  far  as  Dormunde,  but  the  German  had  got 
in  there.  He  entered  with  a  reek  of  tobacco,  and 
settled  himself  with  elaborate  ceremony  in  his  corner, 
after  spending  some  time  in  fussing  with  his  luggage. 
This  had  seemed  to  Temple  unduly  cumbrous.  It  was 
not  as  if  he  could  be  going  very  far  on  this  local  line, 
which  only  ran  to  Heilberg ;  but  the  German  had  all  the 
paraphernalia  of  travel  at  his  disposal.  He  had  evidently 
gone  about  it  as  he  would  go  about  collecting  beetles, 
or  about  drinking  beer  or  book-keeping.  His  god 
was  form  and  order,  and  the  more  detail  the  better. 
His  dispositions  took  so  long  and  were  accompanied 
with  such  noise  that  Temple  wished  he  had  waited 
and  caught  the  express.  He  was  tired  after  journey- 
ing nearly  all  day  in  a  roundabout  route  from  Paris, 
and  he  wanted  to  resume  his  interrupted  slumber. 

At  last  the  rustling  ceased,  and  he  opened  his  eyes 
to  see  if  his  companion  were  settling.  Ample  of  form, 
and  heavily  bearded,  the  man  lay  back  in  his  seat 
studying  some  papers.  Temple  glanced  about,  and 
was  vaguely  annoyed  to  find  fronting  him  on  the  seat 
opposite  a  vast  bundle  of  rugs  and  cloaks.  The  man 


2  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

had  taken  possession  of  the  whole  side  with  a  vengeance. 
Well,  it  was  his  privilege,  but  it  smacked  of  a  gross 
manner  of  life,  and  it  was  in  keeping  that  presently 
he  should  have  begun  to  make  horrible  noises  with 
his  mouth  as  he  chumped  at  some  food  he  took  from 
a  bag.  Temple  fastidiously  frowned,  opened  his  eyes 
again,  and  shut  them  with  an  inward  groan  as  he 
noticed  the  lower  jaw  go  up  and  disappear  with  each 
bite  into  toothless  gums  above.  He  closed  his  eyes, 
endeavored  to  close  his  ears,  and  reflected  on  the  huge 
bundle  of  rugs  with  the  unreasoning  irritation  of  the 
sleepy  man.  He  was,  in  fact,  so  sleepy  that  he  passed 
off  into  unconsciousness  despite  the  ugly  noises. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  with  a  vague  and  immense 
shock,  and  to  find  his  head  a  center  of  dull  aching,  a 
pain  in  his  legs  and  arms,  and  the  sense  of  an  atmos- 
phere of  noise  and  alarm.  He  struggled  without  in- 
telligence in  the  darkness  that  surrounded  him,  was 
dimly  aware  of  light  without,  and  got  upon  his  feet. 
Something  —  it  appeared  to  be  woodwork  —  gave 
way  below  him,  and  his  foot  and  ankle  went  through 
into  space.  Ah !  now  he  remembered  —  he  was  in  a 
railway  carriage ;  but  what ? 

He  groped  through  the  darkness  toward  the  light, 
which  rose  in  flares  outside.  On  his  way  he  touched 
something  soft,  and,  stooping,  put  a  hand  to  it.  It 
was  the  body  of  a  human  being.  Stay,  the  German 
who  had  sat  on  the  opposite  seat !  Temple  was  aware 
now  what  had  happened;  there  had  been  an  accident. 
He  felt  along  the  prostrate  body,  but  there  was  no  sign 
of  life  in  it.  Anyway  he  must  first  get  out,  and  so  he 
pushed  past  it  to  the  door.  He  was  conscious  now  that 
the  carriage  was  askew,  but  had  not  fallen,  and  he  was 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  3 

able  to  get  the  door  open.  As  he  did  so  a  man  came 
up  with  a  lantern,  flashing  it  on  him. 

"Are  you  injured?"  he  asked  in  German. 

"No,  I  don't  think  so,"  replied  Temple  in  the  same 
tongue,  "but  there's  some  one  in  there  who  is." 

The  man,  a  tall,  authoritative  person,  threw  the 
light  of  his  lantern  within,  and  bent  his  head  over  it. 

"Poor  devil,  he'll  want  no  attention!"  was  all  he 
said. 

"What  has  happened?"  inquired  Temple. 

"The  Heilberg  express  has  run  into  the  local," 
replied  the  man.  "  Most  of  the  carriages  are  telescoped. 
I  'm  from  the  express,  and  a  doctor.  It 's  lucky  you 

escaped.  Most  of  the  locals "  He  paused  and 

shrugged  his  shoulders. 

Philip  Temple  looked  at  him,  and  saw  a  strong, 
capable  face.  The  light  of  the  lantern  still  streamed 
into  the  carriage,  where  the  German  huddled  on  the 
floor  almost  took  on  the  impassivity  and  meaningless- 
ness  of  inanimate  nature.  The  roll  of  rugs  hung  on 
the  seat.  It  was  that  which  had  saved  Temple.  He 
could  almost  have  laughed  to  think  of  it.  He  turned 
away. 

"Can  I  help?  "he  asked. 

"You  can  dig  out,"  said  the  doctor  grimly,  as  he 
marched  on. 

Temple  followed.  The  air  was  full  of  discomposing 
sounds.  The  steam  was  blowing  in  clouds  from  a 
collapsed  engine;  fires  were  flaring  from  burning  car- 
riages, shouts  and  calls  rose  in  the  night,  and  beneath 
all  was  a  dreadful  undertone,  as  it  were  the  drone  of 
the  injured  and  the  dying.  It  turned  Temple's  heart 
sick,  but  he  was  resolved  to  stay  the  nausea  with  action. 


4  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

He  advanced  to  a  shattered  and  burning  carriage  from 
which  two  men  were  carrying  forth  a  human  form. 

"Can  I  help?"  he  asked  again. 

"In  there,  quick!"  said  one  of  the  men,  nodding 
towards  the  carriage.  He  moved  towards  it,  and  peered 
in.  The  carriage  was  a  pile  of  matchwood,  and  was 
afire  on  one  side,  but  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  foot 
protruding  from  the  wreckage.  It  was  a  woman's 
foot,  and  it  brought  to  his  mind  that  terrible  story 
of  the  Indian  Mutiny  —  the  woman's  shoe  which  was 
visible  in  Nana  Sahib's  well  at  Cawnpore.  He  began 
rapidly  to  pull  the  matchwood  from  above  this  sign 
of  human  presence. 

It  was  not  buried  deep,  and  he  was  soon  able  to 
uncover  the  body.  It  was  that  of  a  young  woman, 
of  some  style  and  appearance,  and  evidently  of  some 
beauty.  He  got  her  clear  of  the  debris,  and  putting 
his  arms  about  the  still  body,  lifted  it  from  the  wreck. 
With  his  burden  he  staggered  clear  of  the  train  and 
the  railway  line. 

The  scene  was  now  awake  with  light  from  the  burn- 
ing carriages  and  the  torches;  voices  streamed  from 
every  side. 

"Where  are  we?  Is  there  any  aid  near?"  asked 
Temple,  after  depositing  his  charge. 

The  man  he  had  asked  replied :  "  I  don 't  know.  No. 
Somewhere  near  Waldthal,  they  say.  My  God !  what 
do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

He  had  relapsed  into  English,  and  Temple  was 
unaccountably  glad  to  hear  him;  but  the  next  moment 
he  had  vanished  into  the  night.  The  woman  at  his 
feet  drew  Temple's  eyes  anew.  Was  she  dead?  he 
wanted  to  know.  He  hunted  about  the  flying  shadows 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  5 

for  his  doctor  —  any  doctor,  but  no  one  paid  any  at- 
tention. At  least,  if  they  listened  to  him  they  ignored 
or  forgot. 

"Presently,  presently!"  reiterated  an  official  in  a 
fine  uniform  and  a  fine  voice. 

But  "presently"  would  not  suffice  for  Temple. 
He  was  accustomed  to  have  his  own  way  when  he 
wanted. 

"Put  your  hand  there,"  he  commanded  some  one 
who  passed,  and  the  authority  in  his  voice  constrained 
the  man.  "Is  she  alive?" 

"  There  is  no  doubt,  but  I  will  send  a  doctor.  There 
is  Dr.  Weiss  yonder." 

The  man  escaped  on  his  own  business.  Temple 
waited. 

"  What 's  this  ?"  asked  another  vague  shadow,  stoop- 
ing to  gaze  down. 

"Do  you  know  where  we  are?"  inquired  Temple 
shortly. 

"Yes.  Waldthal's  two  kilometers  off,"  responded 
the  black  shadow  against  the  flare,  whom  he  made 
out  to  be  a  youth  of  seventeen. 

"Nothing  nearer?"  asked  Temple,  and  learned 
that  the  youth's  father's  cottage  lay  back  a  kilometer. 
He  decided  rapidly  against  the  cottage,  if  Waldthal 
and  doctors  were  only  as  far  again. 

"Then,  look  here" — Temple  was  masterful  — 
"this  lady  will  die  if  she  has  no  attention.  And 
I  don't  know  who  is  a  doctor  and  who  is  n't  here.  I 
must  remove  her  to  Waldthal.  Can  you  get  me  a 
conveyance?" 

It  seemed  that  the  shadow's  father  had  a  sort  of  cart. 

"  Very  well,  if  you  '11  get  me  the  cart  within  twenty 


6  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

minutes  I  '11  make  it  worth  your  while,"  said  Temple. 
"Can  you  bring  it  here?" 

"Yes,  the  road's  just  yonder."  The  shadow  van- 
ished into  the  night  with  speed. 

For  nearly  half  an  hour  Temple  remained,  endeavor- 
ing to  attract  the  attention  of  some  one  capable  of 
giving  aid  to  the  woman  he  had  rescued.  At  last  he 
came  upon  his  doctor,  who  allowed  himself  to  be 
drawn  aside  to  the  spot.  He  bent  and  examined.  It 
was  the  affair  of  a  few  minutes. 

"No  injuries  of  a  serious  kind,"  he  reported,  "but 

in  the  condition  in  which  she  is,  the  shock He 

looked  grave.  "Quiet,  rest,  and  nursing  are  the  best 
things;  and  now,  excuse  me,  there  are  more  urgent 
cases " 

He  walked  away.  Temple  stood  looking  down, 
with  quiet  pity. 

The  youthful  shadow  emerged  from  the  night, 
plucking  his  elbow.  Well,  the  poor  creature  must 
have  her  chance;  in  that  first  glimpse  of  her,  as  he 
parted  the  splinters  above  her  face,  he  had  taken  her 
for  English.  Anyway  she  should  have  her  chance. 

"Ready?"  he  asked  the  boy,  and  receiving  a  reply 
in  the  affirmative,  stooped,  raised  what  in  its  structure 
was  a  slender  body,  and  stepped  out  for  the  road.  It 
was  a  rough  farm  cart  in  which  he  placed  the  unfortu- 
nate woman,  and  he  walked  beside  while  the  youth 
drove. 

The  night  was  warm  with  the  breath  of  spring, 
and  the  scents  of  the  fields  rose  into  Philip  Temple's 
nostrils.  The  flare  of  the  railway  lights  died,  and 
when  they  had  passed  over  the  brow  of  a  hill  it  was  as 
if  the  whole  horrid  scene  had  been  blotted  from  his 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  7 

mind  as  from  his  sight.  He  might  have  been  passing 
with  his  vegetables  to  early  market  in  some  town. 
That  reminded  him. 

"Did  you  say  Waldthal  was  the  nearest  village?" 
he  asked. 

The  youth  replied  in  the  affirmative,  adding  that 
there  were  good  inns  there  and  doctors.  Silence  fell 
between  them  once  more,  and  the  cart  rumbled  on. 
There  was  a  certain  lightness  in  the  sky,  though  it 
was  past  ten  o'clock,  and  Temple  could  just  make 
out  the  configuration  of  the  fields  and  the  contours 
of  the  roadside.  He  was  aware  of  a  block  of  darkness 
somewhere  in  the  distance,  but  did  not  associate  it 
with  anything.  It  might  have  been  land,  or  cloud, 
or  an  objective  mass  of  forest.  The  cart  rumbled  on 
along  a  deserted  road,  and  no  further  conversation 
passed  between  the  man  and  the  youth.  The  roadway 
began  to  go  down,  and  the  cart  rocked  and  groaned 
on  its  clumsy  axles;  it  crossed  a  little  stream  that  ran 
unbridged  and  open,  with  a  heavy  jerk.  Temple  put 
his  hand  on  the  horse. 

"Hold!"  he  said. 

He  was  afraid  of  that  bump.  He  lit  a  match  and 
examined  the  interior  of  the  cart.  Yes,  he  was  afraid 
of  that  bump.  The  woman's  face,  yellow  under  his 
tiny  flame,  looked  ghastly.  He  had  supported  her 
head  on  some  sacks,  and  the  face  was  upturned  to  the 
live  spring  sky,  with  unseeing  eyes.  He  fumbled  to 
feel  the  heart,  and  thought  he  could  detect  it. 

"How  far  is  the  village?"  he  asked  the  youth,  who 
replied  that  it  was  about  a  kilometer  distant. 

As  they  had  already  gone  more  than  a  mile,  Temple 
realized  that  the  youth's  original  estimate  of  the  dis- 


8  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

tance  had  been  wrong.  He  placed  now  little  reliance 
on  the  new  statement.  Temple  signaled  to  him  to  go 
on.  In  the  twilight  the  road  wound  uphill,  turned  by 
a  black  patch  of  trees,  and  seemed  to  be  about  to  de- 
scend once  more.  A  twinkle  of  light  in  the  depth  below 
caught  Temple's  attention;  it  marked  the  village;  but 
to  the  right  suddenly  he  perceived  a  larger  gleam  at 
closer  quarters.  The  mass  of  darkness  which  he  had 
vaguely  noted  earlier  now  presented  itself  in  clearer 
proximity,  and  showed  as  a  pile  of  buildings. 

"What  is  that?"  he  asked  abruptly. 

"The  Castle  of  Waldthal,"  replied  his  guide. 

Philip  Temple  was  accustomed  to  make  up  his  mind 
quickly  when  there  was  occasion.  He  was  afraid  of 
the  road  to  Waldthal. 

"Drive  there,"  he  commanded. 

"  But,  sir  —  the  Castle ! " 

Temple  crushed  the  protest.  "Do  as  I  bid,"  he 
said  curtly;  and  with  manifest  reluctance  and  inward 
fears  the  boy  turned  his  horse  aside  upon  the  cross 
track  that  led  from  the  crown  of  the  hill  to  the  Castle. 
A  hundred  yards  farther  he  came  to  a  halt  before  huge 
gates;  and  now  it  was  that  Temple  perceived  whence 
the  light  flowed.  There  was  a  large  lodge  at  the  gates 
with  lighted  windows.  He  groped,  found  a  bell,  and 
pulled  it  vigorously.  Almost  immediately  afterwards 
his  peal  was  answered  by  a  woman  who  came  out  of 
the  lodge  with  a  lantern,  and  swung  it  at  him. 

"Is  it  the  Dr.  Lennheim?"  she  asked. 

"No,"  said  Temple  shortly.  "  It  is  a  woman  in 
sore  need." 

"Ach!"  The  custodian  of  the  gates  appeared  to 
wait,  to  consider  and  to  study  him. 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  9 

"You  are  not  an  Eisenburger ? "  she  said  presently. 
"But  then  you  are  not  German?" 

Her  words  were  only  half  a  question,  but  he  an- 
swered them. 

"I  am  English,"  he  said.  "There  has  been  a  rail- 
way accident  some  distance  back,  and  the  poor  lady 
I  have  in  this  cart  is  gravely  injured.  She  needs  at- 
tention at  once.  This  is  the  first  house  on  the  way, 
and  so  I  brought  her  here.  Think,"  he  threw  at  her, 
"  a  woman  and  dying  ! " 

She  heaved  a  sigh.  "Wait!"  she  said,  and  scurried 
back  to  the  lodge.  A  few  minutes  later  Temple  saw 
a  figure  dash  out  of  the  lodge  and  run  quickly  up  the 
drive  which  he  supposed  to  lead  to  the  Castle,  and 
almost  simultaneously  a  tall,  burly  man  emerged  with 
the  woman,  both  with  lanterns.  They  came  to  the 
grille  of  the  gates  and  peered  through,  and  then  the 
man  took  a  jangling  bunch  of  keys  and,  selecting  one, 
turned  it  in  a  lock.  He  came  out  with  his  lantern 
held  up,  staring  at  Temple,  and  from  him  to  the 
driver. 

"You  come  from  Heyten  Farm?"  he  interrogated 
harshly. 

"Yes,"  said  the  boy. 

"This  accident "  said  the  man.  "Was  it  an 

accident?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  boy,  adding  with  some  exhibition 
of  personal  satisfaction:  "There  were  hundreds  killed 
and  injured.  I  saw  them." 

"Ah!"  The  interrogator  passed  to  the  cart,  and 
threw  the  light  in;  both  he  and  the  woman  who  had 
joined  him  scrutinized  the  injured  lady  and  talked 
harshly  below  their  breath.  Finally  the  man  came 


10  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

back  to  where  Temple  was  standing  with  growing 
indignation,  and  said  in  a  civil  voice: 

"The  gates  cannot  be  opened  to  admit  strangers 
after  eight  o'clock.  It  is  his  Excellency's  orders." 

"But  the  woman  is  dying,"  exclaimed  Philip  hotly. 

"  We  have  sent  to  ask  —  to  report,"  said  the  man. 

The  sound  of  feet  upon  the  drive  drew  the  attention 
of  them  all  at  this  juncture.  Several  people  seemed 
to  be  approaching,  and  the  man  and  the  woman  hastily 
withdrew  within  the  gates. 

"Is  that  you,  Krettner?"  demanded  a  quick,  au- 
thoritative voice. 

The  young  man  who  came  first  to  the  gates  was  in 
uniform,  bright-faced,  and  young.  He  took  a  lantern 
from  Krettner  and  examined  the  surroundings.  As 
he  was  obviously  in  ofiice  Temple  made  his  address 
anew  to  him,  pointing  out  the  urgency  of  the  case. 
The  young  man's  bright  eyes  took  hfm  in. 

"  You  are  English  ? "  he  said  in  that  language,  which 
he  spoke  with  just  a  pleasant  accent.  "Yes,  we  will 
do  what  is  possible.  It  is  necessary  to  live  by  rules 

in Dr.  Lemercier,  please  come  here,"  he  broke 

off  into  German. 

The  man  who  had  accompanied  advanced. 

"It  is  Dr.  Lemercier,"  explained  the  first  man. 
"He  will  make  an  examination,  and  do  what  is  pos- 
sible for  the  poor  lady." 

"But,"  protested  Temple  again,  "I  think  the  first 
necessity  is  to  get  her  into  some  house  where  she  can 
lie  in  warmth  and  comfort." 

"But  yes "  began  the  officer,  and  turned  away, 

as  the  doctor,  who  had  been  looking  into  the  cart, 
claimed  his  attention. 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  11 

They  spoke  together  in  murmurs. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  officer  at  last.  "If  you  wish 
it;  I  don't  mind  taking  the  responsibility.  Good!" 
He  came  back  to  Temple.  "We  have  decided  that 
the  lady  shall  be  taken  into  the  Castle  " 

"You  are  kind,"  said  Temple,  bowing  after  the 
continental  manner.  "But  I  should  have  thought  the 
lodge  would  have  been  better,  being  nearer,  and " 

"No,"  said  Lemercier,  speaking  to  him  for  the  first 
time,  and  his  voice  was  sharp  and  peremptory.  "It 
must  be  the  Castle.  It  is  too  far  for  me." 

"There  is  illness  in  the  Castle,  sir,"  explained  the 
more  communicative  officer. 

Lemercier  growled,  the  soldier  gave  his  orders, 
and  the  gates  rolled  slowly  open.  The  cart  jerked 
forward  and  began  to  move  slowly  up  the  avenue 
which  gave  access  to  the  Castle. 

It  drew  up  finally  somewhere  in  the  rear  wing  of 
the  building,  which  loomed  formidably  in  the  night 
and  seemed  of  great  size;  and,  the  doctor  having  called 
assistance  from  within,  the  unfortunate  lady  was 
gently  placed  on  a  stretcher  and  carried  into  the  house. 
Temple  watched  the  operations  from  the  lobby  through 
which  the  procession  passed.  Some  one  pushed  the 
interior  door  wider  open  so  as  to  allow  the  ingress, 
and  a  rich  glow  of  light  from  the  corridor  fell  on  the 
stretcher,  illuminating  the  woman's  face.  In  his  heart 
Temple  felt  she  was  doomed;  he  shuddered  as  he 
turned  away  and  the  door  closed.  Near  by  was  the 
soldier. 

"Sir,"  he  said  with  courteous  ceremony,  "I  offer 
you  my  sincere  condolences,  but  you  understand  — 
our  doctors  will  do  everything." 


12  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

For  a  moment  Temple  was  puzzled  at  this  address; 
and  then  he  realized  that  the  situation  had  been  mis- 
understood. This  officer  thought  him  —  no  doubt  they 
all  thought  him  —  the  husband  of  the  lady.  But  before 
he  could  repudiate  the  connection,  the  other  continued, 
in  a  slightly  different  voice: 

"I  am  instructed  to  entertain  you,  sir,  and  am  en- 
tirely at  your  service.  Meanwhile,  I  would  suggest 
some  refection.  You  —  you  too  did  not  escape  with- 
out injury?" 

He  spoke  in  English  out  of  compliment  to  his  guest, 
whom  he  motioned  to  precede  him  through  a  door. 
Temple  hesitated  only  momentarily,  for  he  was  very 
tired,  and  he  did  need  some  refreshment.  Moreover, 
as  it  had  flashed  through  his  mind  in  the  circumstances, 
he  had  no  particular  destination.  He  was  conducted 
by  his  host  into  a  comfortable  room  which  he  sup- 
posed to  be  the  private  room  of  the  officer  of  the  guard. 
His  host  brought  glasses  and  bottles  from  a  cupboard 
and  proffered  hospitality. 

"This  is  wine,"  he  said,  "and  cognac,  and  Schnapps, 
and  there  is  your  whisky.  You  shall  choose." 

Temple  chose  cognac,  and  his  companion  followed 
his  example.  He  sipped  a  little  appreciatively. 

"Ah,  my  dear  sir,"  he  said,  as  if  suddenly  remember- 
ing the  sadness  of  the  occasion.  "  I  can  understand  how 
gravely  you  fear.  But  take  heart,  our  doctors  — 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  Temple,  remembering  also, 
"you  are  mistaken  in  what  you  suppose.  The  poor 
lady  is  not  related  to  me  in  any  way." 

"  Not  related ! "    His  host  stared. 

"  I  picked  her  out  of  the  smash.  I  don't  even  know 
her  name.  Mine  is  Temple." 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  13 

The  officer  bowed  to  the  introduction.  "And  mine, 
Mi.  Temple,  is  Du  Vallon,  —  Constantine  du  Vallon, 
Capt  :in  in  his  Highness's  Waldthal  Guards." 

Temple  acknowledged  the  introduction  on  his  side. 
The  two  young  men  looked  at  each  other.  They  were 
about  of  an  age  —  thirty.  The  Englishman  was  the 
taller,  and  the  more  muscular;  his  coloring  and  com- 
plexion were  characteristic  of  his  country,  being  in 
excess  of  neither  dark  nor  fair.  He  was  neutral  in 
tint,  and  sober  to  look  on,  even  having  a  suggestion 
of  laziness,  or  at  any  rate  of  indifference,  in  his  manner. 
The  lines  of  his  face  were  rather  bold  and  handsome, 
and  he  had  quiet  gray  eyes.  On  the  other  hand 
Du  Vallon  was  quite  fair,  blue  of  eye,  fresh  of  voice  and 
air,  and  quick  of  emotion,  His  temperament  looked 
frankly  at  you  from  his  friendly  face.  It  was  a  pleasant 
face,  like  the  Englishman's  clean  save  for  a  moustache, 
which  was  trained  in  military  fashion. 

So  soon  as  he  heard  that  Temple  was  not  emotionally 
concerned  in  the  fate  of  the  lady  Du  Vallon's  demeanor 
underwent  a  swift  change.  He  brightened;  that  fine 
show  of  sympathy  fell  from  him  like  a  veil;  he  prof- 
fered a  box  of  cigars,  lighted  one  himself,  and  genially 
motioning  his  guest  to  a  comfortable  chair,  stretched 
himself  in  another  with  a  certain  negligent  grace. 

"Ah!"  he  said  with  a  sigh,  "sad  things  happen, 
Mr.  Temple.  The  world  is  full  of  them.  One  cannot 
deny  it.  It  is  best  to  take  what  happiness  one  may 
while  it  flies." 

He  waved  his  cigar,  as  if  he  was  taking  it  there  and 
then.  "You  have  not  seen  our  horse  races?"  he  in- 
quired abruptly.  "But  no,  not  if  you  have  just 
come." 


14  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Temple  indicated  that  Eisenburg  was  strange  ground 
to  him. 

"Ah,  yes,  of  course,"  said  Captain  du  Vallon.  "But 
you  are  English,  and  interested  in  horse  races."  He 
assumed  airily  that  all  Englishmen  were.  "You  must 
stay  now  you  are  here  and  see  ours.  It  is  quite  — 
quite  in  style,  you  know.  I  have  a  bet  on  Grandpere 
Michis,"  he  added  meditatively,  "a  big  bet.  I  hope 
he  will  win." 

Temple  also  expressed  the  hope  that  he  would,  and 
rose  to  go.  After  all,  he  had  formed  no  plans,  and 
he  must  needs  be  thinking  of  the  future.  Somewhere 
in  the  Castle  a  clock  boomed  out  the  hour  of  eleven. 

"What,  Mr.  Temple,  you  are  going?  I  beg  you 
no,"  said  his  host,  jumping  to  his  feet.  "It  is  dull, 
this  waiting,  and  you  are  tired.  Now  try  that  whisky. 
It  is  good  and  comes  from  England." 

Temple  excused  himself,  adding  with  a  deprecatory 
smile:  "You  see,  Captain,  I  am  homeless  and  desti- 
tute. I  must  look  for  lodgings." 

Du  Vallon's  eyes  wandered  about  the  room.  "Par- 
don !  I  wish  I  might  invite  you.  Pardon !  I  had  for- 
gotten. Let  me  consider.  Oh,  come,  there  is  the 
Hotel  du  Cerf  at  Waldthal  —  an  admirable  hostelry, 
for  I  have  stayed  there.  Pray  sit  down.  I  will  see 
you  are  directed  there  presently." 

Temple  hesitated,  asked  the  distance,  and,  learn- 
ing it  was  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  walk, 
sat  down  and  allowed  his  glass  to  be  refilled. 

"It  is  seldom  one  can  talk  with  intelligent  people," 
said  Du  Vallon  with  an  expressive  gesture.     "Here 
we  have  the  Court,  oh  yes,  but  dull  dogs  most  of  them, 
and  soldiers,  oh  yes,  but  with  no  heart  above  drill." 


THE  UNKNOWN  WOMAN  15 

He  twirled  his  moustache  and  assumed  an  air  of 
intense  intellectuality,  which  stirred  Temple's  sense  of 
humor.  He  liked  to  laugh  quietly  behind  his  some- 
what impassive  expression. 

"The  Grand  Duke  is  in  residence  here?"  he  in- 
quired politely.  He  had  the  vaguest  notion  of  Eisen- 
burg  politics,  but  he  knew  it  was  a  grand-duchy. 

"The  Grand  Duke!"  His  companion  was  mani- 
festly amazed.  "But,  my  friend,  his  Highness  has 
been  dead  these  three  months." 

Temple  murmured  his  apologies.  "  I  am  an  ignorant 
islander.  We  live  to  ourselves,"  he  said. 

Du  Vallon  was  interested  in  his  ignorance.  "The 
Grand  Duke,"  he  repeated,  "died  three  months  ago. 
That  is  our  trouble.  That  is  why  we  are  so  dull.  Ah, 
yes,  dull  and  troubled!" 

"I  can  understand  that,"  said  Temple  civilly.  "But 
has  he  not  a  successor?" 

Du  Vallon  wheeled  on  him  two  very  blue  eyes, 
and  leaned  forward. 

"  There  is  our  trouble,"  he  said  confidentially.  "  The 
Grand  Duchess  —  He  paused.  "  It  is  fortunate 

for  that  poor  lady  that  we  are  full  of  doctors  to-night. 
There  is  Lemercier  and  others.  Yes.  My  friend, 
we  are  expecting  a  very  interesting  event  this  night." 

"An  heir!"  Temple's  mind  rose  to  the  conjecture. 
"  My  congratulations." 

Du  Vallon  received  them  with  a  profound  bow,  as 
if  they  were  personally  his.  "You  say  well.  It  will 
be  a  good  thing  for  all  of  us,  for  Eisenburg,  when  the 
heir  arrives." 

"If  not ?"  Temple  ventured. 

Again  Du  Vallon  lowered  his  voice  to  a  confidential 


16  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

register.     "If  not,"  he  said  impressively,  "the  throne 
will  pass  away  to  another  line." 

"What  line?"  asked  the  interested  Englishman. 

Du  Vallon's  brows  contracted  in  a  frown.  "Prince 
Albrecht  of  Suabia  —  a  German,"  he  said  brusquely. 

"  Then  he  is  not  popular  ?  "  pursued  the  Englishman. 

"  Popular ! "  He  waved  his  hand  impatiently.  "  I  have 
never  seen  him.  There  has  been  nothing  between  our 
Grand  Dukes  and  the  Suabian  line  for  several  genera- 
tions. He  descends  from  a  sister  of  Louis  XIX.  There 
is  no  Salic  law  in  Eisenburg.  He  is  a  German."  Du 
Vallon  cut  viciously  at  another  cigar.  "  Eisenburg  is  in- 
dependent; her  independence  is  guaranteed, look  you,  by 
the  Powers.  She  is  neither  German  nor  French  nor  Belgian 
nor  Dutch.  We  want  no  Germans  here,"  he  growled. 

Temple  began  to  get  an  inkling  of  the  significance 
of  this  night  to  Eisenburg;  it  appeared  that  he  had 
stumbled  on  a  momentous  crisis.  The  tragedy  of  the 
train  had  led  him  to  a  point  where  he  had  his  finger 
on  the  pulse  of  history.  He  was  vaguely  interested,  and 
sat  looking  at  Du  Vallon  and  pondering. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  rap  on  the  door,  and  a  servant 
entered,  flushed  and  flurried. 

"His  Excellency  desires  to  see  the  gentleman,  Cap- 
tain," he  blurted  out. 

"His  Excellency!"  repeated  Du  Vallon,  starting  up. 

"His  Excellency!"  echoed  Temple  wonderingly. 
"Who  is  his  Excellency?" 

Du  Vallon  looked  at  him  as  if  in  surprise.  "His 
Excellency  Count  Cavari,"  he  answered,  and  as  Temple 
still  looked  his  interrogation,  added  to  that,  "  the  Chan- 
cellor of  Eisenburg.  Franz,  I  will  conduct  the  gentle- 
man myself,"  he  said  in  dismissal  of  the  messenger. 


CHAPTER  H 

THE    BELLS    OF    THE    CASTLE 

/CAPTAIN  DU  VALLON  exhibited  animation 
V-^  at  once. 

"His  Excellency  desires  to  see  you,  Mr.  Temple. 
Come,  we  must  not  keep  his  Excellency  waiting.  Heav- 
ens, what  a  surprising  night!  It  is  near  twelve. 
This  way,  my  friend,  this  way." 

Philip  Temple  followed,  wondering  vaguely  what 
he  had  to  do  with  so  great  a  person  as  the  Chancellor 
of  Eisenburg,  and  quite  appreciably  affected  with 
curiosity  at  the  situation.  They  went  along  broad 
flagged  corridors  under  dim  lights,  and  in  a  large  hall 
mounted  a  shallow  staircase.  On  the  floor  above 
Captain  du  Vallon  proceeded  at  the  brisk  pace  with 
which  he  had  set  out  along  an  equally  broad  corridor 
of  oak,  with  long  mullioned  windows  looking  out  on 
a  courtyard. 

"  This  is  the  center  of  the  Castle,"  he  explained  in 
a  whisper  to  Temple.  "The  Chancellor  has  his  offices 
here.  He  looks  out  on  the  park  gardens  the  other 
side." 

As  he  spoke  he  laid  a  hand  on  his  companion's 
arm,  as  it  were  a  detaining  or  precautionary  hand. 
Temple,  looking  at  him  to  find  the  reason,  followed 
his  glance,  which  went  down  the  corridor  after  a  wo- 
man's figure.  It  was  tall,  seemingly  young,  and  of  a 
grayness  that  melted  into  the  twilight  of  the  passage. 


18  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"  Hush ! "  whispered  the  Captain  in  his  ear.  "  It 's 
the  Princess.  She  must  be  greatly  perturbed  this 
night." 

"What  Princess?"  Temple  managed  to  ask. 

"Princess  Alise,"  whispered  back  Du  Vallon,  "the 
sister  of  the  Grand  Duchess.  She  is  devoted  to  her 
sister.  It  is  an  anxious  time  for  her." 

He  resumed  his  way  slowly,  and  just  then  a  door 
opened  a  little  ahead  of  them  and  a  man  issued  — 
short,  dark,  and  wrapped  in  thought.  He  did  not  lift  his 
head  as  he  passed  them,  and  Du  Vallon  turned  to  look 
after  him. 

"It  is  Professor  Scheltzen,"  he  said,  "the  eminent 
surgeon  from  Eisenburg.  He  has  been  called  in.  He 
comes  from  his  Excellency's  chambers." 

It  was  with  considerable  interest  that  the  young 
Englishman,  who  had  been  accidentally  admitted  to 
a  close  inspection  of  these  dynastic  secrets,  looked 
after  the  great  man.  He  watched  him  go  down  the 
corridor,  and  of  a  sudden  a  gray  shadow  leaped  in 
his  path.  It  was  the  Princess  Alise.  The  two  stood 
talking  in  the  dimness. 

"His  Excellency  waits,"  Captain  du  Vallon's  voice 
reproached  him. 

Temple  turned;  the  soldier  rapped  on  the  door, 
and  entered  to  a  call.  He  beckoned  Temple  in. 

"Your  Excellency,  I  have  brought  Mr.  Temple  to 
you,"  said  Du  Vallon,  with  a  formal  salute. 

It  was  a  room  of  no  great  size  which  they  had  en- 
tered, but  it  was  brightly  lighted,  and  Temple  saw 
that  two  people  occupied  it  —  the  one  a  grave  and 
elderly  man  at  a  table  writing,  the  other  an  older  man, 
equally  grave,  who  stood  with  a  paper  in  his  hand. 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE          19 

It  was  to  this  latter  that  Du  Vallon  made  his 
salute. 

"  Mr.  Temple  ?  "  said  his  Excellency  in  good  English. 
"Good.  Please  come  this  way." 

He  dismissed  the  soldier  with  a  gesture,  and  moved 
across  the  room  to  a  door  which  gave  access  to  a  fur- 
ther and  larger  room  which  was  lined  with  bookshelves 
and  safes.  He  indicated  a  chair  in  which  Temple 
might  sit,  and  himself  dropped  into  one  behind  a 
bureau  over  which  he  surveyed  the  Englishman.  The 
Englishman  in  his  turn  surveyed  the  famous  Chan- 
cellor with  quick,  calculating  eyes,  though  his  face 
expressed  very  little. 

"Mr.  Temple,  I  understand  you  are  English," 
began  the  Chancellor,  putting  the  tips  of  his  fingers 
together. 

"Yes,"  assented  the  younger  man,  not  wholly  im- 
pressed by  this  finicking  trick. 

"I  have  heard  of  the  terrible  accident  to  the  Heil- 
berg  train,"  resumed  his  Excellency.  "Indeed,  I 
have  had  an  account  forwarded  to  me."  He  bent 
over  a  paper  on  his  desk.  "  I  have  placed  the  resources 
of  the  village  at  the  disposal  of  the  unhappy  sufferers. 
I  understand  that  you  and  your  wife  were  unfortunate 
enough  to  be  passengers  by  it.  I  am  glad  I  was  able 
to  be  instrumental  in  giving  the  poor  lady  shelter  at 
the  last." 

Temple  did  not  interrupt,  though  he  saw  the  original 
mistake  repeated.  He  never  interrupted  unnecessarily, 
and  always  waited  his  own  time.  Perhaps  it  was  con- 
stitutional indolence.  His  Excellency  could  be  dis- 
illusioned later,  when  he  had  said  all  he  wanted  to 
say.  Temple  was  curious  to  learn  what  that  was. 


20  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

His  look  expressed  interest  only.  The  Chancellor's 
eyes,  which  were  strangely  light  and  hard,  flashed 
for  a  moment  on  him  inquiringly,  like  gleams  of  steel. 

"I  thought,"  he  said,  in  a  clear,  level,  emotionless 
voice  —  "I  thought  that  perhaps  it  would  be  kinder 
to  break  to  you  the  sad  news  —  that  your  wife  never 
rallied." 

He  ceased,  eying  the  other  with  an  equable  gaze 
that  struck  Temple  as  rather  horrible  in  the  supposed 
circumstances.  It  was  a  cold,  businesslike  face  which 
was  turned  towards  him,  almost  as  if  the  head  of  a 
firm  were  interviewing  him  on  a  commercial  proposal. 
Yet  Temple  felt  doubtful  now  as  to  the  validity  of 
that  first  impression  of  finicking  ways. 

"I  thank  your  Excellency,  but  the  lady  was  no 
relation  to  me,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I  am  deeply  grieved 
that  she  should  have  lost  her  life  in  this  tragic  way, 
but  she  was  unknown  to  me." 

There  rose  a  gleam  in  the  steel  eyes  of  the  Count 
which  flickered  for  an  instant;  and  then  his  gaze  fell, 
and  he  shifted  some  papers  before  him. 

"I  congratulate  you,"  he  said  after  a  little  pause. 
"It  is  pathetic,  and  I  congratulate  you  that  you  are 
emotionally  removed  from  the  tragedy."  He  made 
again  a  tiny  halt.  "  I  have  done  all  I  can  to  further 
the  cause  of  humanity.  You  have,  then,  no  knowl- 
edge of  the  lady's  identity?" 

He  put  the  question  in  his  dry,  mechanical  voice, 
now  regarding  Temple  again. 

"None,"  said  he.  "I  assume,  however,  that  it  can 
be  established." 

"In  what  way?"  the  official  voice  asked. 

"  I  suppose  there  are  witnesses  to  identify  —  marks 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE  21 

on  linen,  perhaps  even  clearer  evidences,  by  letter  or 
card." 

"True."  His  Excellency  reflected.  "I  will  have 
inquiries  made.  You  may  leave  it  in  the  hands  of 
our  police,  Mr.  Temple."  His  manner  underwent 
a  change;  he  took  up  some  papers,  and  glanced  at  his 
guest.  "  I  am  glad  you  are  not  concerned  in  the  tragedy," 
he  said  with  an  evident  air  of  dismissal.  "You  will 
excuse  me.  I  have  much  on  my  hands  just  now." 

Philip  Temple  rose,  and  made  his  formal  bow, 
which  was  formally  returned  by  the  Chancellor  with- 
out further  words.  A  moment  afterwards  he  was  in 
the  corridor  with  Du  Vallon,  who  had  waited  in  the 
ante-chamber  for  him,  and  now  proceeded  to  conduct 
him  back  to  his  own  quarters. 

"His  Excellency,"  said  the  Captain, who  seemed  burn- 
ing with  curiosity  —  "his  Excellency  was  gracious?" 

"His  Excellency  was  polite,"  said  Temple,  smiling, 
"and  I  accept  it  as  gracious  that  he  desired  to  break 
the  news  to  me  in  person  of  the  poor  lady's  death." 

"Death !"  echoed  Du  Vallon.  "Ah,  well,  my  friend, 
you  did  your  duty.  It  is  something  to  have  done  one's 
duty.  Life !  Life !  It  was  gracious  in  his  Excellency 
to  send  for  you,  particularly  when  he  has  so  much  to 

trouble  him.  This  affair "  Captain  du  Vallon's 

shrug  was  expressive. 

At  the  head  of  the  stairs  which  led  down  into  the 
hall  from  which  they  had  ascended  they  encountered 
Dr.  Lemercier,  dark  and  sharp  of  air.  He  went  by 
without  heeding  them  and  with  astonishing  swiftness. 
Immediately  afterwards  a  low  gabble  of  women's 
voices  sounded  in  their  ears,  and  two  nurses  passed 
them  rapidly  in  the  wake  of  the  doctor. 


22  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"This  affair!"  Du  Vallon  paused  and  looked  at 
them,  as  he  repeated  the  words  in  another  voice.  His 
eyes  were  alight  with  eagerness.  "Mr.  Temple,  we 
live  in  exciting  times.  See  there.  There  is  a  crisis 
in  this  nation's  history,  and  we  have  our  hand  on  its 
pulse.  Come,  my  friend,  we  will  drink  to  a  happy 
solution." 

Temple  protested.  It  was  near  midnight,  and 
he  must  be  on  his  way  to  the  village,  which  he  had 
yet  to  find  in  the  dark.  But  Du  Vallon's  voluble 
spirit  would  take  no  refusal,  and  he  at  last  yielded. 
Two  glasses  were  solemnly  charged  with  wine,  and 
lifted. 

"We  will  drink,  friend,  to  a  happy  solution  and  to 
the  health  of  the  Grand  Duchess.  Even  now  all  may 
be  well.  What  did  I  say?  No,  we  will  be  bolder, 
and  will  drink  to  the  health  of  the  Grand  Duke,  God 
save  him !" 

Du  Vallon  tossed  off  the  wine  and  shattered  the 
glass  on  the  hearth.  Following  his  example  with  tol- 
erant courtesy,  Temple  did  the  same. 

"And  now,"  he  said,  "I  must  leave  you." 

The  soldier  conducted  him  to  the  doors,  effusively 
offering  him  his  services.  He  was  to  say  in  what  way 
Constantine  du  Vallon  could  be  of  assistance  to  him. 
"You  have  been  guest  of  mine  during  a  momentous 
night;  you  have  shared  my  vigil,"  he  declared.  "It 
is  right  we  should  be  friends.  Hark !  What  is 
that?  No;  it  is  only  twelve  o'clock  striking.  I  am 
unstrung.  Good-bye,  my  friend.  Never  doubt  we 
shall  have  good  news,  and  Eisenburg  shall  be  safe 
from  the  accursed  German." 

He  was  garrulous  now  between  wine  and  his  own 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE  23 

natural  ebullience  of  spirit,  and  he  shook  Temple's 
hand  warmly  as  he  left. 

It  was  only  when  he  had  reached  the  lodge  that 
Philip  remembered  he  had  not  received  the  promised 
guide.  Yet  Waldthal  was  near,  and  he  stopped  at 
the  gate  to  inquire  of  the  lodgekeeper.  The  woman, 
who  recognized  him,  gave  him  directions,  and  then 
put  a  question  as  to  the  poor  lady.  Temple  told  her 
she  was  dead,  and  the  woman  cried  out: 

"Ah!"  she  said  compassionately,  "and  the  gentle- 
man will  be  heart-broken." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  did  not  know  who  she  was," 
he  explained  for  the  third  time  that  night. 

The  woman  did  not  seem  to  comprehend,  and  looked 
bewildered  as  she  opened  the  gates  for  him.  He  marched 
into  the  night  with  a  farewell. 

It  was  a  good  deal  darker  by  now,  and  the  road 
was  involved  in  heavy  shade.  Looking  back,  he  could 
see  the  lights  of  the  Castle,  and  in  the  distance  a  twinkle 
showed  where  the  village  lay.  The  road  went  down 
the  hill,  and  curled  into  a  wood.  Here  it  was  that  he 
recalled  the  woman's  directions.  If  he  wanted  the 
shortest  way,  he  was  to  take  the  turning  through  the 
wood  to  the  left.  Well,  he  did  want  the  shortest  way, 
for  he  was  both  hungry  and  tired ;  and  so  without  hesi- 
tation he  took  the  left  turning. 

Within  five  minutes  he  felt  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake,  for  the  track  was  turning  uphill,  and  he  was 
certain  that  the  village  lay  below.  The  trees  in  their 
spring  leafage  encompassed  him,  occluding  its  lights. 
He  stopped  suddenly  in  more  than  doubt,  and  in  the 
silence  which  ensued  on  the  cessation  of  his  footfalls 
he  heard  a  twig  snap  under  some  weight  behind  him. 


24  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Twisting  about,  he  discovered  a  dim  something  in  the 
track,  and  hailed  it. 

"Any  one  there?" 

An  answer  came  back  to  him  —  an  affirmative  and 
cheerful  "Ja."  He  retraced  his  steps,  and  joined 
the  form,  which  was  that  of  a  short  and  rather  thick- 
set man. 

"I  am  trying  to  get  to  Waldthal,"  he  explained. 
"Am  I  right?" 

"I  am  going  there  myself,"  responded  the  stranger 
briskly.  "Allow  me  the  privilege  of  conducting  you." 

This  was  handsomely  civil,  and  Temple  accepted 
with  alacrity.  The  stranger  turned  aside  on  a  by- 
path, moving  through  the  thickest  of  the  wood  in  a 
descent  which  brought  them  presently  on  the  back 
parts  of  the  village  and  its  lights.  It  was  now  past 
midnight,  but  the  place  was  awake  and  active.  The 
sufferers  from  the  railway  accident  were  distributed 
in  the  houses,  and  the  unwonted  business  of  attend- 
ing on  them  kept  the  villagers  from  their  beds.  His 
guide  and  companion  conversed  affably  with  Temple 
on  the  subject.  He  expressed  his  horror,  and  assever- 
ated the  tragedy  of  it  with  emphasis  —  that  so  many 
innocent  folk  should  be  plunged  at  a  stroke  into  an 
ugly  death!  "But  we  Eisenburgers,"  he  concluded 
with  modest  pride,  "are  hospitable,  and  have  tender 
hearts.  We  would  do  all  that  could  be  done  to  help 
the  poor  creatures.  For  the  dead  there  is  no  help." 

He  threw  up  a  despairing  arm  as  he  spoke. 

Philip  Temple  commented  in  a  complimentary 
manner  on  the  Eisenburg  attitude,  and  so  talking 
they  came  into  the  village. 

Temple  had  informed  his  guide  as  to  his  destina- 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE  25 

tion,  and  had  learned  that  they  were  both  bound  for 
the  same  inn. 

"  I  am  on  business  —  private  business,"  said  the 
Eisenburger,  nodding  with  importance. 

The  host  of  the  Hotel  du  Cerf,  Maillac  by  name, 
ushered  them  into  a  comfortable  room  in  which,  late 
as  it  was,  cloths  were  laid  on  two  of  the  small  tables. 
The  accident  had  thrown  a  sudden  burden  of  work 
on  him  also,  but  he  was  smiling,  and  courteous,  and 
cheerful  as  a  grig. 

"Ah,  Hen*  Kuss,"  said  he,  addressing  Temple's 
companion,  "  how  is  it  up  at  the  Castle,  eh  ?  Is  there 
any  news  ?  What  of  her  Highness  ?  We  are  all  anxious, 
let  me  tell  you." 

Herr  Kuss,  thus  addressed,  got  up  and  solemnly 
took  the  innkeeper  aside.  He  spoke  with  him  earnestly, 
and  gesticulated  a  good  deal.  He  was,  now  that  Tem- 
ple had  him  under  the  light,  a  stocky  little  fellow  of 
thirty,  with  a  stout,  red  face,  very  perky  of  air,  bright 
of  eye,  and  bristling  of  manner.  He  looked  like  some 
overgrown  cock-sparrow,  as  he  stood  laying  down 
the  law  to  the  sallow  innkeeper,  who  nodded,  got  in 
a  word  or  two,  nodded  again,  strove  to  interrupt  and 
failed,  and  finally  backed  away  and  slipped  swiftly 
out  of  the  room.  Herr  Kuss  returned  to  the  fireplace 
and  spread  his  legs  apart. 

"It  is  the  wish  of  his  Excellency  that  everything 
should  be  done  to  alleviate  the  sufferers,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  just  delivered  a  message  to  that  effect.  I  have 
sent  Maillac  flying." 

He  was  manifestly  satisfied  at  this  sign  of  his  power, 
and  then  graciously  took  his  fellow-passenger's  affairs 
in  hand. 


26  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"But,  sir,  I  perceive  you  have  nothing  to  eat.  You 
will  want  food,  no  doubt.  I  will  see  you  are  at- 
tended to." 

He  rang  the  bell  and  brought  in  the  host  again, 
whom  he  addressed  authoritatively. 

"My  good  Maillac,  this  gentleman  is  tired  and 
hungry.  He  desires  some  food,  no  doubt.  Why  don't 
you  ask  him?" 

"  But,   Herr  Kuss,  your  orders " 

"Well,  man,  there  is  more  than  one  pair  of  legs 
in  this  place,  and  more  than  one  pair  of  hands,  or  I'm 
blind  and  halt  and  deaf  too !  The  gentleman,  no  doubt, 
has  traveled  far." 

It  was  in  its  way  an  interrogation,  and  Temple  an- 
swered it.  He  was  not  communicative  by  nature,  or 
he  would  at  an  earlier  stage  in  their  acquaintance  have 
explained  his  presence. 

"I  was  unlucky  enough  to  be  in  the  accident,"  he 
said  now  simply. 

Maillac  stared,  and  the  little  cock-sparrow  started; 
both  seemed  eminently  surprised. 

"But  you  were  lucky  enough  to  escape  then!"  re- 
marked Herr  Kuss  at  last.  "It  is  marvelous.  Good 
Heavens,  what  a  crash,  what  suffering,  what  agony! 
Will  Monsieur  tell  us  about  it?" 

"If  Monsieur  will  be  so  good  as  to  serve  me  with 
some  refreshment,  I  shall  be  at  the  disposal  of  you 
both,"  said  Temple  good-naturedly. 

Maillac  apologized  for  his  neglect,  and  taking  his 
order,  dashed  away.  Herr  Kuss  stood  surveying  the 
Englishman  with  apparent  admiration  in  his  light, 
inquiring  eyes. 

"To  think  that  you  have  been  through  it  and  lived," 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE  27 

he  remarked,  "and  not  even  injured!"  And  he  put 
a  question  as  to  the  collision. 

To  oblige  him  Temple  rapidly  sketched  his  im- 
pressions of  the  scene  and  finished  abruptly:  "I  saw 
no  more,  as  I  came  away." 

By  this  time  supper  was  at  hand,  and  he  fell  to,  inn- 
keeper and  guide  watching  him  with  interest. 

"You  made  your  way  here  then,  Monsieur?"  asked 
Kuss. 

"Yes,"  said  Temple  laconically.  There  was  no 
reason  why  he  should  relate  the  story  of  the  unhappy 
lady,  or  tell  of  his  visit  to  the  Castle. 

Little  Kuss  eyed  him  thoughtfully,  and  for  a  little 
while  in  silence.  Then  he  said,  "Well,  well!"  which 
seemed  to  sum  up  his  comments  on  anything  that  sur- 
prised him. 

At  that  moment  a  woman's  hand  was  thrust  into 
the  room,  and  a  woman's  voice  called  out  excitedly: 

"The  bells  are  ringing!  the  bells  are  ringing!" 

There  was  an  instant  commotion.  Maillac  rushed 
out  of  the  door,  and  Kuss  ran  quickly  to  a  window 
and  opened  it.  The  first  sound  that  struck  on  Temple's 
ear  was  that  of  a  rushing  stream  that  ran  by  the  inn 
and  through  the  village;  but  behind  that,  and  very 
distant,  he  could  hear  the  clangor  of  bells.  Footsteps 
and  voices  were  audible  all  over  the  house  now,  and 
the  noise  of  people  running  in  the  street  flowed  through 
the  open  window.  For  some  thirty  seconds  Herr  Kuss 
listened  to  the  bells,  as  they  crashed  out  on  the  night, 
and  then  he  turned,  his  face  aflame  with  eagerness, 
to  Temple. 

"It  is  the  Grand  Duke !"  he  said  in  an  awed  whisper. 
"  It  is  the  new  heir  that  is  born  to-night." 


28  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Temple  recalled  the  parting  scene  with  Du  Vallon. 

"The  heir!"  he  echoed.  "Those  are  joy-bells, 
then.  Well,  he  is  born  into  his  heritage  —  weal  or 
woe,  joy  or  care.  We  must  all  have  our  chance.  I 
drink  to  the  Grand  Duke,  Herr  Kuss." 

Kuss,  his  eyes  rolling  in  a  red  face,  contemplated 
him  for  a  moment ;  then  — 

"Your  sentiments  are  kind,  sir,"  he  said  heartily. 
"You  honor  our  ruler.  It  is  a  compliment  worthy 
of  you  and  your  nation.  I  too  will  drink  it.  Maillac, 
Maillac!"  he  called  loudly.  "A  bottle  of  your  finest 
Moselle,  Maillac,  to  drink  the  Grand  Duke's  health." 

"  If  you  will  allow  me '     Temple  poured  from 

his  own   bottle  a  glass  of  wine,  and  presented  it  to 
him. 

"Oh,  sir,  a  thousand  thanks;  you  are  gracious." 
He  bowed. 

The  innkeeper  came  in  time,  another  bottle  was 
produced,  and  a  solemn  toast  was  drunk. 

"  Here 's  to  the  Grand  Duke  and  confusion  to 
Albrecht!" 

This  was  Maillac,  spluttering  excitedly,  and  cough- 
ing as  the  wine  went  the  wrong  way. 

"Hush,  Maillac!"  Kuss  frowned.  "We  must  not 
bore  this  gentleman  with  our  politics.  It  is  enough 
that  the  Grand  Duke  has  been  born  to  his  own.  Hark, 
those  bells!" 

"He  will  be  called  Louis,"  said  Maillac  clamantly. 
"All  the  Wolfgang  line  have  been  Louis." 

"Yes,  Louis  he  shall  be;  Louis  he  is,"  assented 
Kuss. 

"  Ah,  Herr  Kuss,  I  envy  you  the  pride  of  returning 
to  the  Castle,  where  such  great  events  have  happened  !" 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE  29 

The  genial  and  loyal  innkeeper  sighed  with 
enthusiasm. 

Kuss  bore  his  honors  modestly.  "Oh,  I  shall  not 
see  much  of  it,"  he  protested.  "I  shall  be  busy.  I 
have  my  accounts  to  keep  and  the  rest.  But  there 
will  be  no  sleep  in  the  Castle  this  night.  This  night? 
This  morning  !  Soon  will  the  sun  be  up,  and " 

A  roll  as  of  thunder  surged  in  the  air  and  overwhelmed 
their  ears ;  and  the  two  men  started  up.  Temple  recog- 
nized the  noise  of  a  motor-car.  It  crossed  the  bridge 
over  the  stream  with  a  roar,  and  came  to  a  pause  out- 
side the  Hotel  du  Cerf. 

Kuss  approached  the  window,  and  looked  out.  "  It 
is  a  car,"  he  announced.  "Some  late  arrival."  He 
came  back.  "  Maillac,  this  is  generous  wine.  I  grudge 
not  the  three  francs.  Here  comes  your  new  guest." 

A  man  entered  as  he  spoke.  He  was  between  forty 
and  fifty,  tall,  heavily  built,  with  a  dark,  full  face  and 
rather  somber  eyes.  A  certain  masterfulness  showed 
in  his  bold  features.  He  was  clad  in  furs  of  so  rough 
and  bristling  a  character  as  to  give  him  the  appearance 
of  a  huge  and  savage  animal.  He  crossed  to  a  table 
in  a  few  big  strides,  taking  in  the  occupants  of  the 
room  with  drifting  eyes. 

"Maillac,  a  glass  of  cognac,"  he  said  bluffly. 

"Certainly,  your  honor;  certainly,  Herr  Baron," 
said  the  innkeeper  uneasily,  and  hurried  away. 

The  newcomer's  gaze  passed  over  little  Kuss,  dis- 
missing him  with  silent  contempt,  and  dwelt  on  the 
Englishman,  who,  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  was  sip- 
ping the  last  of  his  wine,  but  he  did  not  speak.  It  was 
only  when  Maillac  had  returned  rather  breathlessly  that 
he  said : 


30  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"I  heard  bells,  Maillac.  I  conclude  they  celebrate 
some  event,  eh?" 

He  grinned  rather  saturninely,  looking  from  under 
bushy  eyebrows. 

"Yes,  your  honor,"  replied  the  innkeeper;  but  to 
Temple's  surprise  he  did  not  explain  further. 

The  stranger  gulped  the  cognac  in  a  breath. 

"And  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  he  said,  looking  round 
at  the  bottles  —  "I  should  n't  wonder  if  there  had 
been  a  toast." 

Kuss  had  not  spoken  since  the  newcomer's  advent, 
and  Maillac  at  this  remark  only  murmured  something 
indistinctly.  It  seemed  to  Temple  that  the  courtesy 
of  a  reply  was  demanded  from  some  one. 

"We  had  this  moment  been  drinking  to  the  health 
of  the  new  Grand  Duke,"  he  said. 

"  Ah  ! "  The  stranger's  eyes  searched  his  face.  "  So 
there's  a  new  Grand  Duke,  is  there?  This  is  inter- 
esting. I  arrive  in  stirring  times." 

He  poured  himself  another  liqueur-glass  of  cognac. 
"I'm  too  late,  I  suppose,  to  join  the  toast?"  He 
looked  at  Maillac  grimly.  "  Never  mind,  friend  Maillac, 
any  toast  is  excuse  enough  for  a  drink.  Is  it  not  so  ? 
I'll  make  my  own  toast.  Here's  to  it."  He  tossed 
off  the  second  glass  of  spirit,  took  up  his  gloves,  nodded 
with  condescending  good-humor  at  the  company,  and 
walked  towards  the  door,  the  boards  seeming  to  shake 
under  his  massive  tread. 

As  he  went  out  the  tension  in  the  room  relaxed; 
Maillac  breathed  more  freely,  and  Kuss  stirred. 

"He  has  come  from  the  capital,"  he  said  under 
his  breath.  "He  is  on  his  way  to  the  chateau." 

Maillac  shook  his  head.  "What  brings  him  here 
now?  I  don't  like  it,"  he  said. 


THE  BELLS  OF  THE  CASTLE  31 

There  was  a  noise  below  of  a  starting  engine,  and 
the  innkeeper  went  to  the  window  and  put  out  his 
head.  The  personality  of  the  departed  had  invaded 
the  whole  house;  it  lingered  yet. 

"May  I  ask  who  the  gentleman  was?"  inquired 
Temple,  covering  a  tiny  yawn,  for  he  was  sleepy. 

Kuss's  bright  eyes  turned  on  him.  "Baron  Fa- 
vrinck,"  he  answered. 

The  information  conveyed  nothing  to  Temple,  but 
he  nodded  in  acknowledgment,  and  rose,  bidding 
his  host  and  Kuss  good-night.  Once  in  his  bedroom, 
he  unrobed  with  rapidity,  and  then  flung  open  the 
window.  The  gurgling  of  the  stream  ascended  pleas- 
antly to  his  ears;  the  night  was  mild  and  beautiful 
with  stars,  already  paling  towards  the  dawn.  He  got 
into  bed  and  went  fast  asleep. 

Some  time  later  —  he  knew  not  how  long  —  he 
was  awakened  by  a  consciousness  of  something  external. 
He  listened.  Through  the  open  window  came  the 
sound  of  a  bell ;  but  it  was  not  the  peal  that  had  greeted 
the  birth  of  a  Grand  Duke;  it  was  a  melancholy  and 
monotonous  sound,  repeated  dismally  —  it  was  the 
tolling  of  the  passing-bell. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE     TELEGRAM 

IN  the  morning  Temple  found  an  explanation  of 
the  melancholy  bell.  The  village  was  in  a  state 
of  depressed  excitement,  for  the  Grand  Duchess  had 
not  survived  her  ordeal,  and  had  passed  away  quietly 
in  the  night.  The  grand-duchy  thus  was  divided 
between  gloom  and  rejoicing;  but,  so  far  as  Temple 
could  observe  in  the  village,  it  was  rather  the  latter 
feeling  that  tended  to  come  uppermost.  He  himself 
remembered  early  a  first  duty,  which  was  to  acquaint 
his  mother  of  his  safety.  He  therefore  went  to  the 
post-office  before  he  took  breakfast,  and  wrote  his 
message  on  a  form.  Waldthal  was  full  of  strangers 
who  had  been  in  the  accident,  or  who  had  arrived  to 
see  friends  and  relatives  detained  in  the  village  by 
their  injuries;  and  thus  the  little  room  devoted  to  tele- 
grams was  overcrowded  by  people  bent  on  missions 
similar  to  Temple's.  He  found  his  elbow  jogged  and 
himself  bumped  by  clumsy  but  apologetic  German- 
speaking  and  French-speaking  folk,  who  raised  their 
hats  and  made  expressive  gestures  of  their  regrets. 
The  local  train  had  carried  local  passengers  for  the 
main  part;  and  among  the  small  crowd  of  grave  and 
anxious  souls,  Temple  could  not  detect  any  one  of  his 
own  nationality.  The  uninjured,  and  those  who  had 
received  only  slight  injuries,  had  proceeded  overnight 


THE  TELEGRAM  33 

to  their  various  destinations  by  a  relief  train.  The 
dead  —  the  dead  were  beyond  relief. 

Temple,  handing  in  his  form,  was  aware  of  some 
one  bustling  past  him  to  engage  the  attention  of  the 
telegraph  clerk.  He  looked  round,  and  beheld  the 
red  face  of  little  Kuss,  whose  eyes  had  shot  over  the 
counter  and  were  greedily  raking  all  that  lay  beyond. 

His  important  look  vaguely  amused  Temple,  who 
saluted  him.  The  little  man  started,  and  then  gave 
him  back  a  ceremonious  greeting,  rather  austerely. 

"You  will  excuse  me,  sir,"  he  said  gravely.  "This 
sad  affair  at  the  Castle  —  a  national  calamity  —  I 
have  a  lot  of  work  on  my  hands.  But  I  beg  you,  sir, 
to  allow  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  later." 

As  he  spoke  he  was  fingering  the  telegraph  forms 
which  he  and  others,  including  Temple,  had  thrust 
through  to  the  desk,  and  absent-mindedly  pulled  them 
towards  him.  Then,  apparently  recollecting,  he  pushed 
them  forward  again  across  the  counter. 

Temple  nodded  and  left  him,  walking  back  to  the 
Hotel  du  Cerf  to  his  breakfast,  which  he  keenly  rel- 
ished. He  spent  a  little  time  over  a  good  cigar  and 
in  pondering  his  future  movements.  He  had  sent 
telegrams  relating  to  his  luggage,  and  he  had  also 
seen  that  he  should  be  supplied  afresh  with  what  he 
required  for  personal  use.  He  had  been  on  his  way 
to  Munich,  but  only  in  a  vague,  tentative  fashion. 
He  supposed  he  should  still  go  there,  but  at  present 
he  was  not  averse  to  tarrying  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of 
Eisenburg,  which  was  to  him  new  ground.  He  looked 
up  the  valley  as  he  sat  on  the  little  balcony  over  the 
stream  after  breakfast.  It  was  a  lovely  May  day,  and 
the  sunlit  mists  were  lying  in  the  deep  ravines  that 


34  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

cleft  the  mountains  behind.  In  the  middle  distance 
the  Castle  of  Waldthal  rose  majestically  on  its  perch, 
clothed  with  its  fine  park,  and  neighboring  forests 
that  climbed  the  heights  beyond.  It  was  a  romantic 
situation;  and  the  little  village  seemed  to  hold  out 
a  splendid  promise  of  rambles  in  the  vicinity.  He 
finished  his  cigar  and  descended  into  the  lower  rooms 
of  the  hostelry,  to  find  Maillac  poring  over  a  news- 
paper which  had  just  arrived  from  a  center  of  civiliza- 
tion. There  was  a  small  bundle  of  the  sheets,  and 
Temple  supplied  himself  with  one.  His  eye  ran  over 
it  —  politics,  a  feuilleton,  gossip  —  ah !  the  terrible 
accident  near  Waldthal. 

He  read  the  story  with  the  interest  of  one  who  has 
been  eye-witness,  and  learned  that  it  was  supposed 
a  signalman  named  Dastner  had  been  at  fault.  The 
list  of  dead  and  injured  met  his  eyes.  It  contained 
mostly  German  and  Belgian  names,  but  there  were 
three  or  four  which  looked  as  if  they  might  be  English 
or  American.  Hastily  gathered,  and  by  a  foreign  scribe, 
they  had  the  air  of  not  at  any  rate  being  either  German 
or  French  —  they  were  "  Brownis,"  "  Loverston,"  "  Mi- 
lord Strond"  (?  "Miladi"). 

"  Brownis  "  he  interpreted  for  "  Brown,"  "  Loverston" 
might  be  British,  and  might  also  be  "  Levenstein," 
but  "Milord  Strond"  could  be  nothing  but  British, 
though  he  failed  to  recall  any  name  of  the  sort  in  the 
peerage.  "Miladi,"  it  appeared,  was  doubtful;  but 
an  item  of  news  lower  down  told  him  that  the  charred 
bodies  of  the  man  and  woman  supposed  to  be  Lord 
and  Lady  Strond  had  been  taken  from  a  burning  car- 
riage, Milord  being  identifiable  by  papers  still  intact 
in  his  pocket,  but  Miladi  only  by  juxtaposition  and 


THE  TELEGRAM  35 

the  knowledge  that  she  had  traveled  with  her  husband 
from  Dormunde. 

Temple  was  still  reading  the  narrative  when  a  voice 
greeted  him  with  cheerful  friendliness,  lifting  him  out 
of  his  occupation.  It  was  Captain  du  Vallon,  debonair 
and  handsome,  and  as  fresh  as  the  daylight  in  which 
he  stood.  He  saluted,  smiling. 

"How  are  you  after  your  adventures?"  he  asked. 

"I  feel,"  said  Temple,  "as  if  I  had  waked  up  out 
of  a  bad  dream  into  fairyland."  He  extended  a  hand 
toward  the  sunlit  hills. 

"  Ah !"  said  Du  Vallon;  "you  appreciate  our  scenery. 
Good.  I  have  often  wondered  why  it  is  not  visited 
by  tourists.  No  fashion  has  been  set.  Well,  we  are 
fortunate.  We  keep  our  beauties  to  ourselves,  like  a 
modest,  pretty  woman.  We  do  not  flaunt  them." 

Temple  pointed  to  a  seat  in  his  easy  way.  "I'm 
glad  you  've  come,"  he  said.  "  I  want  to  know  all 
your  news." 

The  two  men  liked  each  other  by  instinct,  and  the 
events  of  the  night  seemed  to  have  forced  their  ac- 
quaintance into  something  like  friendship. 

"You  see  I  was  right — our  toast  was  in  order," 
said  Du  Vallon  brightly.  "  We  have  our  Grand  Duke. 

But  the  Grand  Duchess "  His  face  clouded  for 

an  instant,  and  then  he  sighed:  "Well,  she  has  died 
at  her  post.  She  has  done  her  duty.  It  is  some- 
thing." 

Temple's  face  fluttered  with  an  incipient  smile, 
and  was  suddenly  controlled  in  a  rigid  stricture.  This 
attitude  was  so  characteristic,  so  naive;  it  tickled  him. 
He  saw  before  him  the  most  natural  creature  in  the 
world,  and  one  of  the  most  good-natured.  He  had 


36  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

judged  his  man,  looking  out  of  very  quiet  and  indifferent 
eyes. 

"My  sympathies  go  with  you,"  he  said  gently. 
"But  the  balance  is  on  the  right  side,  is  it  not?  You 
are  secure  against  Germanization." 

"Yes,  we  are  secure,"  nodded  Du  Vallon.  "The 
Count  has  got  what  he  wanted;  he  can  do  his  work 
now." 

"The  Count,"  reflected  Temple,  "has  his  counter, 
and  will  play  it  for  all  it  is  worth."  But  aloud  he  said : 
"  I  do  not  like  to  worry  his  Excellency  at  this  supreme 
moment,  but  I  am  anxious  to  learn  if  anything  has 
been  discovered  as  to  the  identity  of  the  poor  lady 
who  died  last  night." 

"Ah,  my  friend,"  said  Du  Vallon,  with  alacrity, 
"  I  am  here  for  that  purpose.  I  received  orders,  which 
gave  me  great  satisfaction,  to  seek  you  and  acquaint 
you.  His  Excellency  has  caused  search  and  inquiry 
to  be  made  with  the  railway  authorities  and  elsewhere, 
and  the  poor  lady  cannot  be  traced.  She  came  name- 
less, and  she  will  go  nameless.  Alas!" 

"That  is  his  Excellency's  message  to  me?"  said 
Temple. 

"No,  pardon.  The  manner  of  expression,  the  senti- 
ment, is  mine.  The  facts  are  his  Excellency's." 

"  No  trace ! "  murmured  Temple.  "  It  is,  when  you 
come  to  think  of  it,  Captain,  a  tragic  case.  I  am  im- 
agining the  lady  mine  —  mine,  that  is,  by  marriage, 
or  by  some  intimate  relationship.  She  disappears 
into  the  Continent,  and  is  never  heard  of;  and  there 
am  I,  waiting,  waiting  —  wondering  —  fearing.  .  .  ." 

"Pardon  me  — where  are  you?"  demanded  Du  Val- 
lon, with  interest. 


THE  TELEGRAM  37 

"  I  am  in  England  —  in  the  West  Country,"  re- 
plied Temple. 

"  You  think  she  was  your  countrywoman  ?  "  the 
other  asked. 

Temple  hesitated.  "I  did  not  mean  that  neces- 
sarily. You  see,  I  live  in  the  West  of  England.  I 
was  supposing  my  own  case.  I  might  have  supposed 
yours.  But  I  had  a  notion  she  was  English.  There 
was  no  proof  of  it ;  it  was  mere  suspicion  —  some- 
thing in  the  appearance  in  the  face,  in  the  personal- 
ity. Races  have  their  personality,  Captain,  as  well  as 
individuals." 

"True,"  agreed  Du  Vallon.  "We  have  personal- 
ity here  in  Eisenburg,  a  strong  and  distinctive  per- 
sonality." He  fingered  his  moustache  and  looked 
philosophic. 

"What  astonishes  me,"  went  on  Temple  reflec- 
tively, "is  that  there  were  no  marks  on  the  clothing 
by  which  identification  might  be  possible." 

"His  Excellency  said  nothing." 

"It  is  odd,"  said  Temple.  "She  was  certainly  in 
well-to-do  conditions,  from  her  dress,  and  probably 
of  a  good  social  standing.  I  remember  her  golden 
hair.  ..."  He  was  silent;  there  was  something  in 
the  memory  that  silenced  him. 

"You  may  safely  leave  it  to  our  police  to  investi- 
gate," said  Du  Vallon.  "His  Excellency  bade  me 
tell  you  that.  He  wished  to  relieve  your  mind.  We 
have  every  confidence  in  our  police." 

"His  Excellency  is  very  kind,"  said  Temple,  look- 
ing meditatively  at  his  guest.  "It  is  not  usual  to  be 
so  considerate  to  a  mere  passing  stranger,  particularly 
in  such  stirring  times." 


38  ALISE  or  ASTRA 

"Oh,  but  his  Excellency  was  insistent,"  declared 
Du  Vallon.  "He  impressed  upon  me  the  importance 
of  your  receiving  the  facts.  His  Excellency  has  a 
wonderfully  organized  system." 

"I  can  believe  that,"  answered  Temple  courte- 
ously. "I  shall  always  remember  Count  Cavari  as 
a  model  of  method.  I  am  grateful.  I  have  every 
confidence,  like  yourself,  in  your  police,  yet  I  confess 
I  feel  a  scruple  about  abandoning  to  strangers  what 
providence  seems  to  have  thrust  upon  me  as  a  charge. 
My  own  countrywoman  ..." 

"You  are  not  sure  of  that.  It  is  a  guess,"  inter- 
jected Du  Vallon  politely. 

"But  it  is  a  probability.  I  should  feel  a  certain 
shame  to  turn  my  back  upon  this  nameless  grave,  to 
desert  her  altogether.  Think  of  the  man  awaiting 
her,  to  whom  I  likened  myself,  or  you,  Captain,  away 
in  some  distant " 

"But,"  protested  the  soldier  quickly,  "you  assume 
she  has  a  husband  — a  lover?" 

Temple  moved  himself  slightly  in  his  chair,  staring 
at  his  new  friend  musingly.  "How  absurd  of  me!" 
he  said  quietly,  after  a  pause.  "I  never  thought  of 
that.  If  she  was  married  she  was  wearing  a  ring.  Did 
his  Excellency  mention  anything  about  a  ring?" 

Du  Vallon  shook  his  head.  "  I  have  repeated  his  Ex- 
cellency's message,"  he  said.  "  There  was  no  ring  in  it." 

Temple  was  thoughtful  for  a  moment,  and  then 
looked  up. 

"Tell  me,  who  is  this  little  man  Kuss  who  con- 
ducted me  here  last  night  ?  " 

"Little  Franz  Kuss!"  Du  Vallon  laughed.  "He 
is  a  clerk  or  copyist,  or  something  of  the  sort,  in  the 


THE  TELEGRAM  39 

Chancellor's  office.  He  is  well  known,  little  Kuss. 
The  Chancellor  could  not  get  on  without  him.  Eisen- 
burg  would  suffer  if  he  retired.  At  the  present  mo- 
ment, I  believe,  he  is  responsible  for  the  delectable 
situation  we  are  all  enjoying.  Oh,  the  world  wags 
on  little  Franz  Kuss!" 

He  rose  as  he  laughed,  and  took  up  his  hat.  A 
pleasant  breeze  flowed  through  the  open  window, 
and  the  little  River  Larche  wimpled  and  gurgled  below. 
Temple  rose  with  him. 

"Yes,  you  have  a  beautiful  country,"  he  said  ap- 
provingly; and  his  eyes  passed  over  the  village  roofs 
and  swept  the  forest-clad  hills.  "I  must  stay  and 
explore." 

"You  are  going  to  stay,  Monsieur?"  said  Du  Vallon. 

"And  explore."  Temple  smiled,  with  a  wave  of 
his  hand  at  the  hills. 

Du  Vallon's  brow  clouded.  "  Ah  !  that  is  beautiful ; 
but  it  is  not  always  possible  to  regard  it  with  equa- 
nimity. It  is  —  it  is  in  wrong  hands." 

Temple  looked  his  inquiry. 

"It  belongs  to  the  Boar  of  the  Odenstock,"  said 
Du  Vallon  viciously. 

His  companion  repeated  the  words,  "The  Boar 
of  the  Odenstock!" 

"Yes.  His  estate  lies  at  the  head  of  the  valley;  it 
sweeps  over  the  hills  and  down  to  the  plateaux  beyond. 
That  is  the  Odenstock  Forest,  and  we  call  him  the 
Boar.  It  is  his  family  badge  too,  and  in  keeping ! "  he 
sneered. 

"Who  is  he,  then?"  inquired  Temple. 

"Baron  Favrinck,"  said  Du  Vallon. 

A  figure  was  evoked  of  a  sudden  before  Temple's 


40  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

eyes,  a  gross,  furry  figure,  bristling,  as  it  were,  with 
somber  eyes,  as  it  had  appeared  before  him  after  mid- 
night. The  Boar  of  the  Odenstock !  The  name  fitted 
like  a  glove.  Du  Vallon  was  explaining  volubly  with 
inimitable  gestures.  This  Boar  had  ferocious  tusks; 
he  was  in  opposition  to  the  Court  party,  and  led  the 
Germanophils  of  the  State.  He  was  a  man  of  wealth, 
a  man  of  lineage,  and  so  proud  a  man  that  he  had  pre- 
sumed to  quarrel  with  the  reigning  house.  At  least, 
the  feud  had  begun  with  his  father,  Baron  Robert, 
and  had  been  carried  on  by  Baron  Odo.  Robert  had 
quarreled  over  a  lady  with  the  Grand  Duke  Louis 
XXII;  Odo,  after  a  long  minority  in  which  the  tradi- 
tions of  his  father  weakened,  had  gone  to  Court  as  a 
young  man,  had  cut  some  figure  at  Eisenburg  and  in 
Waldthal,  and  had  repeated  his  father's  performance 
by  an  estrangement  from  Louis  XXIII  over  a  small 
affair  of  precedence.  Now  Louis  XXIV  was  gone, 
and  little  Louis  XXV  reigned  in  his  stead.  Long  live 
the  Grand  Duke! 

So  much  Temple  gathered  ere  Du  Vallon  departed 
with  an  air  of  camaraderie  very  pleasant  to  witness. 
Walking  with  something  of  a  swagger,  he  took  the 
road  out  of  the  village  for  the  Castle,  taken  up  with 
the  trifling  incidents  of  his  itinerary  and  his  own  medi- 
tations. These  latter  were  current,  like  a  stream, 
flowing  on  without  any  effort  to  dam,  divert,  or  pass 
them  in  review.  Du  Vallon's  nature  was  cognate  to 
the  birds  that  sang  this  spring  day  in  the  trees  as  he 
climbed  the  ascent  to  the  Castle.  He  saluted  the  lodge- 
keepers,  and  sought  his  quarters  in  the  great  pile  of 
buildings.  There  was  not  overmuch  to  be  done,  but 
it  was  necessarily  attended  by  a  great  deal  of  fuss  and 


THE  TELEGRAM  41 

formality.  He  encountered  Dr.  Lemercier,  black  and 
silent,  and  hailed  him  genially. 

"  Ah,  doctor !  how  goes  it  ?  Is  our  gracious  lord 
going  on  well?" 

"His  Highness  the  Grand  Duke  is  a  remarkably 
robust  infant,"  said  Lemercier,  speaking  slowly  in  a 
harsh  voice.  "I  do  not  think  there  is  any  occasion 
to  doubt  his  progress." 

"Excellent,  doctor,  excellent.  Now  we  are  safe," 
said  the  soldier,  and  lowered  his  voice.  "  Listen ! 
The  Boar  was  afoot  last  night.  He  was  in  the  Hotel 
du  Cerf  at  midnight.  He  had  come  hot-foot  from 
Eisenburg,  or  was  it  Montrais?  Well,"  he  laughed 
heartily,  "he  had  his  bellyfull.  He  arrived  in  the  nick 
of  time.  The  bells  must  have  been  ringing  at  that 
moment.  That  would  be  as  good  as  a  rapier  through 
his  vitals." 

Dr.  Lemercier,  Court  Physician  at  the  Palace  of 
Eisenburg,  eyed  the  speaker  steadily.  "Yes,"  he  said 
dryly,  "  I  don't  fancy  he  would  like  the  news  —  or 
the  bells." 

"Pouf !"  said  Du  Vallon.  "What  is  the  Boar?  I 
tell  you  he  is  a  much  overrated  person.  He  is  all  repu- 
tation, which  he  derives  from  tradition.  Where  has 
he  shown  his  power?  Nowhere,  I  tell  you.  Let  him 
grind  his  tusks  and  grunt  and " 

A  messenger  in  livery  was  saluting  before  him.  He 
halted.  "His  Excellency  would  be  glad  to  see  you, 
Captain." 

"His  Excellency!  Why,  certainly.  I  wish  you 
good  morning,  doctor.  Good  morning.  Your  news 
is  good,  but  as  for  what  we  spoke  of,  don't  have  a  fear. 
Pish !  I  know  what  I  know." 


42  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

He  started  down  the  corridor  at  a  brisk  rate  on  his 
way  to  the  Chancellor's  apartments,  and,  entering  the 
outer  office,  sent  in  his  name.  The  Chancellor  was 
among  his  papers,  as  usual,  and  glanced  up  as  the 
soldier  entered. 

"Ah,  Captain  du  Vallon,"  he  said  in  his  business- 
like way.  "You  took  my  message  to  the  English 
gentleman?" 

"  Yes,  your  Excellency,"  replied  Du  Vallon. 

"Monsieur  —  M.  Temple,  was  it?"  Du  Vallon 
bowed.  "  I  trust  he  is  no  worse  for  his  experiences  ?" 

"Why,  your  Excellency,  it  is  almost  as  though  the 
man  had  been  to  a  reception.  It  has  left  about  as  much 
impression  on  him  physically." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  It  has  been  an  unhappy  affair. 
Physically,  you  say.  But  —  well,  the  shock  remains, 
no  doubt,  and  affects  the  man  unconsciously.  One 
does  not  go  through  such  things  unscathed." 

"Oh,  M.  Temple  is  concerned  naturally,  your  Ex- 
cellency; he  is  sad  about  his  countrywoman." 

"  His  countrywoman ! "  The  Chancellor  spoke 
quickly,  darting  a  glance  at  Du  Vallon.  "Does  he 
mean  the  unfortunate  lady  who  died  in  the  shelter 
and  hospitality  of  the  Castle?" 

"Even  so,  your  Excellency." 

"  What  grounds  has  he  for  supposing  her  his  country- 
woman?" asked  the  Count. 

"He  has  none.    He  conjectures,"  said  Du  Vallon. 

"Ah!  Well,  did  you  tell  him  that  the  police  would 
do  all  that  is  possible?" 

"Your  Excellency,  he  does  not  doubt  the  capacity 
of  our  police,  but  he  feels  a  shame  to  leave  the  stranger 
who  was  his  countrywoman  to  aliens." 


THE  TELEGRAM  43 

"He  has  no  reason  to  suppose  her  English,"  said 
the  Chancellor  sharply.  "There  was  nothing  on  the 
body  to  indicate  nationality." 

Du  Vallon  shrugged  his  shoulders  to  express  his 
inability  to  judge  of  the  issues.  "At  least,  your  Ex- 
cellency," he  said,  "M.  Temple  feels  a  scruple  in 
deserting  the  poor  lady.  He  wished  to  know  if  she 
wore  a  ring  —  if  she  was  married." 

The  Count  regarded  Du  Vallon  without  speaking 
for  a  moment,  and  then,  "  There  was  a  plain  wedding- 
ring,  I  understand,"  he  said,  "which,  of  course,  beyond 
establishing  the  fact  that  the  lady  was  married,  gives 
no  clue  to  her  identity.  As  M.  Temple  is  interested, 
I  will  instruct  Ventmayer  to  write  to  him  to  that  effect. 
He  is  still  at  the  hotel?" 

"Yes;  he  designs  to  stay  for  some  days,  your 
Excellency." 

"Ah!"  His  Excellency's  ejaculation,  coming  after 
a  pause,  was  neutral,  and  he  dismissed  Du  Vallon  on 
it.  As  the  latter  left  the  offices  of  the  Chancellor  he 
met  little  Kuss,  with  a  bundle  of  papers  and  some  copy- 
ing books  under  his  arm,  and  he  nodded  to  him  gayly. 

"Now,  little  Kuss,  to  write  to  all  the  crowned  heads 
of  Europe  informing  them  of  the  auspicious  event ! " 
he  cried.  "In  your  best  hand,  little  Kuss.  Faith,  I 
envy  you.  What  a  stirring  !"  He  passed  on,  humming 
a  lively  air,  and  Kuss  entered  the  chancellery. 

Temple  had  passed  a  pleasant  day  in  the  valley  of 
the  Larche,  and  on  his  return  in  the  evening  he  found 
a  letter  from  the  Chancellor's  secretary  regarding  the 
unknown  lady. 

"Married!"  he  murmured  to  himself  over  an  ex- 
cellent, but  simple  dinner,  which  he  ate  with  relish. 


44  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"That  does  not  get  one  farther,"  he  mused,  and  the 
picture  of  a  husband  waiting  somewhere  in  a  distant 
region,  waiting  and  fearing,  disturbed  him.  "No 
doubt  he  would  set  afoot  inquiries  when  she  did  not 
appear,"  he  thought.  "It  will  solve  itself."  And 
when  the  unhappy  husband  should  materialize  it  might 
be  something  for  him  to  feel  that  some  one,  not  wholly 
alien,  if  a  stranger,  had  stood  by  his  wife  to  the  end. 
After  he  had  finished  his  dinner  he  went  into  the  coffee- 
room  and  wrote  a  reply  to  the  Chancellor's  secretary, 
in  which  he  begged  to  thank  his  Excellency  for  the 
information,  and  asked,  if  it  were  not  troubling  that 
official  too  greatly,  to  be  acquainted  with  the  arrange- 
ments made  for  the  funeral  of  the  lady,  which  he  de- 
sired to  attend.  This  he  posted  before  he  retired  for 
the  night. 

The  second  morning  of  his  stay  in  Waldthal  was 
as  beautiful  as  the  first,  and  Temple  was  astir  early. 
The  sun  upon  the  hills  lured  him,  and  shortly  after 
breakfast  he  was  out  in  the  village  and  struck  up  the 
course  of  the  little  river  towards  the  Forest  of  Oden- 
stock.  Eisenburg,  as  is  common  knowledge,  is  of 
almost  insignificant  proportions  for  an  independent 
State,  yet  it  has  preserved  that  independence  for  many 
centuries.  The  capital  of  the  same  name  holds  no 
more  than  some  thirty  thousand  people,  and  all  told 
the  population  of  the  grand-duchy  does  not  exceed  a 
quarter  of  a  million.  It  is  a  toy  State,  such  as  you 
will  also  find  in  the  German  confederacy,  with  court 
and  judiciary  and  legislatures,  and  all  the  parapher- 
nalia of  government.  It  is  divided  into  cantons,  which 
contribute  each  to  the  central  government;  and  it  has 
a  conscript  army  of  some  twenty-five  thousand  men, 


THE  TELEGRAM  45 

quite  inefficient  to  maintain  its  sovereignty.  What 
has  preserved  this  is  the  jealousy  of  powerful  neigh- 
bors, who  are  unwilling  each  to  see  this  tit-bit  pass 
into  the  maw  of  her  rival.  The  integrity  of  Eisenburg, 
indeed,  is  guaranteed  by  a  European  treaty;  but  in  the 
face  of  unscrupulous  nations  what  is  a  treaty  ?  Never- 
theless, till  now  Eisenburg  had  held  its  own,  under 
the  rule  of  the  Wolfgangs,  the  last  of  whom  was  now 
represented  in  the  person  of  a  puling  babe  in  Waldthal 
Castle. 

Philip  Temple  had  gathered  this  information  in 
the  course  of  his  stay  at  the  Hotel  du  Cerf .  He  had 
found  a  book  or  two  on  the  dusty  shelves  which  shed 
a  light  upon  the  history  of  the  grand-duchy;  and  he 
had  begun  to  take  an  interest  in  this  toy  State  with  its 
marionettes.  At  all  events,  there  was  some  magnificent 
scenery  towards  the  Odenstock  —  wild  ravines  of 
dashing  beauty,  fine  escarpments,  and  a  wonderful 
woodland,  through  which  the  mountain  torrent  of  the 
Larche  brawled  on  its  leaping  way  to  lower  reaches 
and  the  cool,  slow,  and  stately  waters  of  the  Effel. 

A  formal  letter  from  the  Chancellor's  secretary 
acquainted  Temple  in  due  course  with  the  arrangements 
made  for  the  obsequies  of  the  victims  of  the  railway 
accident.  Such  of  the  dead  as  had  not  been  already 
claimed  by  their  surviving  friends  and  relatives  were 
interred  on  the  following  day  in  the  little  churchyard 
of  St.  Michael,  washed  by  the  murmuring  waters  of 
the  Larche,  and  resting  under  the  whispering  aspens. 
Temple  was  present,  and  discharged  the  last  office  in 
his  power  towards  the  unknown  dead.  There  was  a 
respectful  attendance  of  the  villagers,  and  the  cere- 
mony went  through  with  some  solemnity  of  effect. 


46  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

The  State  was  represented  by  Ventmayer,  the  Chan- 
cellor's secretary,  and  as  he  passed  out  of  the  gate 
when  all  was  over  Temple  espied  little  Kuss,  his  beam- 
ing face  looking  wonderfully  out  of  place  in  so  mourn- 
ful a  gathering.  He  exchanged  a  few  sentences  with 
the  clerk,  and  found  him  remarkably  puffed  up. 

"I  am  representing  his  Excellency,  Monsieur," 
he  assured  Temple  grandiosely.  "His  Excellency  has 
his  hands  full,  but  as  a  matter  of  courtesy  —  inter- 
national courtesy  —  I  am  representing  him  on  this 
sad  occasion." 

"His  Excellency  is  kind,  and  has  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative," said  Temple  solemnly. 

He  looked  back  at  the  church  and  the  dispersing 
congregation.  Earth  was  falling  on  the  coffin  in  the 
unnamed  grave.  The  sun  was  westering  fast,  and 
the  light  had  left  the  upper  valleys  of  the  Odenstock. 
He  nodded  to  little  Kuss  more  abruptly  than  was  his 
custom  and  walked  back  to  the  inn.  A  telegram  was 
waiting  for  him,  and  was  presented  by  the  amiable 
landlord.  It  was  from  his  mother  in  Somersetshire, 
urging  him  to  return  at  once :  "  Come  at  once  or  I  will 
come  to  you." 


CHAPTER  IV 

ONE   KETSCHINSKI 

TEMPLEMORE,  in  the  north  of  Somersetshire, 
within  sound  and  sight  of  the  Severn  estuary, 
is  a  house  of  some  historic  interest.  It  has  had  owners 
who  made  history,  and  its  own  particular  fortunes 
have  been  varied ;  in  the  civil  wars  the  Parliamentarians, 
under  Lord  Stamford,  laid  siege  to  it  without  success; 
and  later  it  is  supposed  to  have  given  shelter  to  the 
broken  Duke  of  Monmouth.  The  house  dominates 
the  picturesque  village  and  a  huge  park,  which  reaches 
by  hill  and  dale  into  the  borderland  of  Exmoor,  and 
in  front  the  sea  shines  and  sparkles. 

Sir  Philip  Temple  had  risen  from  the  dinner-table, 
across  which  he  faced  his  mother,  and  went  out  upon 
the  terrace  in  the  beauty  of  the  evening.  He  had  left 
Waldthal  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  the  tele- 
gram, and  had  not  even  spent  a  night  in  London  on 
his  way  to  the  West.  He  had  arrived  to  find  Lady 
Augusta  in  a  fluttered,  anxious  state,  and  evidently 
expecting  him  to  show  signs  of  his  injuries.  Despite 
her  crippled  condition  she  met  him  half-way  down  the 
steps,  a  fine,  aristocratic  figure,  with  white  hair,  and 
embraced  him  tremblingly. 

"You  're  not  — you  're  not ?  Philip,  you  must 

tell  me!  Don't  hide  anything  from  me!"  she  cried. 
"I  can  stand  it  if  I  know.  It's  only  doubt  that  kills. 


48  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Come  in  and  tell  me.  I'm  glad  you  keep  your  color  at 
least.  It  can't  be  so  bad." 

She  regarded  him  fondly  and  questioningly,  and  he, 
somewhat  nonplussed,  put  her  arm  in  his  and  drew 
her  into  the  house.  Later  he  received  her  explanations 
and  soothed  her  fears.  She  had,  of  course,  read  of 
the  accident,  but,  luckily,  only  after  she  had  received 
her  son's  telegram,  announcing  his  safety.  Yet  he 
might  be  injured. 

"You  might  have  wanted  to  keep  it  from  me," 
she  said,  with  tender  reproach.  "You  know,  Philip, 
you  are  not  communicative." 

She  had  wondered,  doubted,  and,  not  having  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  her  too  laconic  son,  had  begun 
to  fear.  Then  her  fears  were  reinforced  from  outside. 

The  "Temple  Arms"  is  the  name  of  the  ancient 
galleried  inn  which  occupies  the  center  of  the  village, 
and  as  Daignton  is  the  center  of  some  beautiful  scenery 
this  hostelry  is  much  frequented  in  the  summer  months 
by  tourists.  Huge  emblazoned  gates  give  entry  to 
Templemore  Park  in  the  village  itself,  not  a  hundred 
feet  from  the  inn;  and  through  the  gateway  Lady  Au- 
gusta's carriage  was  accustomed  to  roll  up  to  the  house 
through  the  open  park  and  the  lime  avenue  that 
crowns  it. 

"It  was  not  an  accident,  Philip;  it  was  God's  provi- 
dence," declared  Lady  Augusta  earnestly. 

"But  I  have  assured  you  I  am  unhurt,"  he  inter- 
rupted, with  a  smile. 

They  sat  lingering  over  the  dessert,  the  May  twilight 
without  sinking  into  night. 

"Yes,  I  know;  but  it  was  the  means  of  making  me 
sure  of  you,"  she  said.  "I  was  worried.  That  was 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  49 

why  I  shall  always  be  grateful  to  the  chance  —  no, 
not  chance  —  of  this  strange  coming.  Think,"  she 
added,  "if  you  had  been  poor  Lord  Stroud !" 

"Stroud?"  he  repeated. 

"Yes,  the  Duke  of  Collingham's  son.    Poor  fellow !" 

Stroud !  So  that  was  what  the  "  Strond "  in  the 
German  paper  had  been. 

Out  on  the  terrace,  smoking  his  cigar  and  enjoy- 
ing the  wonderful  night,  Temple  passed  the  story  in 
review.  Lady  Augusta  was  turning  into  the  gateway 
in  her  landau  when  round  the  bend  of  the  street  by 
the  butcher's  swept  a  huge  motor-car.  Williams,  the 
coachman,  drew  his  reins  tight,  the  footman  mildly 
held  up  a  warning  hand  that  was  meaningless;  but 
the  car  had  come  straight  at  them,  evidently  beyond 
management.  The  horses  reared  in  fright,  and  then, 
when  it  seemed  that  a  disaster  was  imminent,  at  the 
last  moment  the  driver's  brakes  acted,  and  the  car 
stopped  dead. 

It  was  a  case  for  apologies,  which  on  the  part  of 
the  driver  of  the  car  were  profuse.  But  Lady  Au- 
gusta's nerves  had  been  shaken,  and  she  had  cut  short 
the  man  as  he  gesticulated  and  talked  in  his  furs  before 
her,  and  had  rapidly  driven  through  the  gates  and 
home.  The  owner  of  the  car,  however,  did  not  consider 
that  he  had  made  amends  sufficiently.  He  was  stay- 
ing at  the  "Temple  Arms,"  and  he  called  at  the 
house  later  in  the  day,  sending  in  his  card  to  Lady 
Augusta. 

"Mr.  Edward  Cayman  was  the  name,"  said  Lady 
Augusta,  in  relating  the  incident  to  her  son.  "I  have 
the  card  somewhere.  I  did  n't  know  that  it  was  the 
motor-car  man  till  I  saw  him,  and  even  then  I  don't 


50  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

think  I  should  have  recognized  him  with  those  things 
they  wear.  He  was  very  courteous,  and  had  excellent 
manners.  He  was  heart-broken  to  have  caused  me 
so  much  annoyance,  and  he  was  solicitous  to  learn 
if  I  had  suffered  from  shock.  Of  course  I  had,  but 
I  made  light  of  it.  He  was  so  distressed.  Something 
had  gone  wrong  with  his — 'hutch'  is  it,  or  'dutch'? 
and  it  would  n't  act.  So,  of  course,  it  was  not  his  fault, 
dear." 

It  did  not  now  matter  to  Philip  whether  it  was  Mr. 
Cayman's  fault  or  not,  seeing  that  the  accident  had 
been  averted;  but  he  was  certainly  interested  to  dis- 
cover what  connection  all  this  had  with  himself.  Lady 
Augusta  was  coming  to  it  after  her  fashion. 

Mr.  Cayman,  it  seemed,  having  satisfied  his  con- 
science with  the  amplitude  of  his  apologies,  had  allowed 
himself  a  little  respite.  He  had  looked  at  some  of  the 
pictures  on  the  walls,  had  admired  the  noble  prospect 
from  the  house,  and  had  then  said: 

"  Sir  Philip  Temple.    I  —  I  hope  he  is  better." 

"My  son,"  Lady  Augusta  had  answered,  "has  not 
been  ill." 

Mr.  Cayman  had  looked  surprised.  "But,"  he 
said,  "  I  heard  —  But  it  is  not  the  same  person,  of 

course.  A  friend  of  mine  in  Staten  wrote  to  me  of  an 
accident  in  Eisenburg.  He  had  been  passing  through 
Waldthal,  I  think  it  was,  when  it  occurred.  The 
scenes,  he  wrote,  were  terrible;  they  scored  a  deep 
impression  on  him.  That  was  how  the  mistake  arose, 
a  similarity  of  name." 

At  this  Lady  Augusta,  whose  blanching  face  the 
stranger  was  not  observing,  felt  all  her  worst  fears 
rearisen  and  strengthened. 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  51 

"What  did  your  friend  write  about  any  one  named 
Temple?"  she  managed  to  get  out. 

The  stranger  was  looking  at  the  lovely  prospect 
through  a  window. 

"It  was  sad,"  he  said  in  a  soft,  sympathetic  voice. 
"A  poor  fellow  had  received  internal  injuries,  and 
was  at  the  hotel,  nothing  broken,  and  capable  of  walk- 
ing, but  with  internal  lesion.  My  friend  said  Sir  Philip 
Temple,  but  he  must  have  been  mistaken." 

"My  son,  Sir  Philip  Temple,  was  in  the  railway 
accident,"  said  Lady  Augusta  hoarsely.  Mr.  Cay- 
man was  startled.  "But  he  telegraphed  that  he  was 
safe." 

"  Safe  !  Oh  !  yes,  but  —  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons, 
madam.  I  have  blundered  again.  I  ought  not  to  have 
spoken." 

But  Lady  Augusta  was  glad  he  had  spoken,  and 
her  agonized  cross-questioning  elicited  the  few  facts 
he  had  to  impart.  Sir  Philip's  injuries  did  not  ap- 
parently render  him  unfit  to  travel;  whereas  Lady 

Augusta's  daily  martyrdom  of  arthritis The 

mother  had  no  hesitation.  She  had  telegraphed  the 
same  day,  to  "Temple,  Hotel,  Waldthal." 

Sir  Philip  mused  over  his  tale  and  considered  the 
philosophy  of  rumor.  What  fools  could  have  spread 
abroad  that  odd  story  of  his  internal  injuries  ?  Whence 
had  it  originated  ? 

The  night  smelled  very  odorous  and  was  beautiful. 
He  entered  the  dim-lit  drawing-room  in  which  Lady 
Augusta  reclined. 

"  Have  you  that  card,  dear  —  I  mean  Mr.  Cay- 
man's ?"  he  asked,  in  an  affectionate  voice. 

The  bell  was  rung,  and  a  servant  found  it  for  him. 


52  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"Mr.  Edward  Cayman,"  he  read,  "10A,  Half  Moon 
Street,  W.  Green  Park  Club."  He  twirled  it  between 
his  fingers  for  a  moment,  and  then  put  it  in  his  pocket. 
Lady  Augusta  would  have  no  further  need  of  it,  even 
if  he  had  no  need  himself.  He  left  Templemore  the 
following  morning,  leaving  Lady  Augusta  also  re- 
assured and  happy.  He  spent  three  days  in  London, 
and  on  the  second  met  Freddy  Worsfold  at  a  theatre, 
garrulous,  fatuous,  and  full  of  news  as  usual. 

"Had  a  notion  you'd  pegged  out,  Temple,"  he 
rattled.  "  Glad  you  have  n't.  Were  n't  you  in  some  — 
oh  yes,  that  accident  abroad.  Damned  mess  it  must 
have  been,  what?" 

In  Freddy's  company  he  drifted  to  Freddy's  club 
after  the  play  was  over,  and  drank  a  whisky  and  soda 
in  the  billiard-room.  After  a  plunging  fire  of  gossip 
and  scandal,  Freddy  returned  to  an  earlier  thought. 

"  So  you  were  n't  done  in  over  there  ?  Some  one 
told  me " 

"Freddy,  do  you  know  a  man  named  Cayman  be- 
longing to  your  club?"  interrupted  Temple,  suddenly 
remembering. 

"  Cayman !  Cayman !  Can't  say  I  do,"  said  his 
friend.  "Wait  a  bit."  He  hailed  a  waiter,  who  pres- 
ently returned  with  a  club-list.  There  was  a  goodly 
array  of  members  belonging  to  the  smart  Green  Park 
Club.  Freddy  turned  the  pages.  "  Cayman,  did  you 
say?  Spell  it  with  a  'K'?  Oh,  a  *C'!"  He  turned 
more  pages.  "No,  he  ain't  here,"  he  announced 
presently.  "No  one  of  that  name." 

"Are  you  sure?"  Temple  took  the  book  from  his 
companion  and  went  through  it.  As  Freddy  could 
not  spell,  it  was  unwise  to  trust  to  his  clerical  powers 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  53 

at  all.  But  he  was  right  on  this  occasion.  No  Cay- 
man adorned  the  list  of  members. 

"Rum!"  said  Temple  under  his  breath,  and  shortly 
afterwards  got  away  from  Worsfold. 

Next  morning  he  had  the  curiosity  to  visit  Half 
Moon  Street,  where  Mr.  Edward  Cayman  lived,  and 
he  wandered  along  it  in  search  of  No.  10A.  He  went 
up  and  down  three  times  before  he  had  fully  estab- 
lished in  his  mind  the  fact  that  there  was  no  such  num- 
ber as  10  A. 

"Rum !"  he  said,  this  time  aloud,  as  he  stood  on  the 
pavement  regarding  No.  10  with  perplexity. 

Before  the  post  went  out  that  evening  he  wrote  to 
his  mother,  announcing  that  he  was  leaving  for  the 
Continent  that  same  night.  He  gave  his  address  for 
the  present  as  "Hotel  du  Cerf,  Waldthal,  Eisenburg." 

A  few  hours  later  he  was  in  the  boat-train  for  Dover, 
and  lying  back  in  a  corner  seat  comfortably  reading 
the  newest  magazines. 

Sir  Philip  Temple  reached  Waldthal  by  way  of  the 
capital  town  of  the  grand-duchy,  traveling  the  fifteen 
miles  between  the  two  places  in  the  company  of  an 
agreeable  fellow-passenger.  This  man  was  not  very 
talkative,  but  was  friendly  in  the  informal  way  of 
travelers,  exchanging  opinions  on  the  features  of  the 
country  and  offering  views  on  local  and  European 
politics.  Naturally  the  advent  of  the  infant  ruler 
bulked  large  in  this  latter  talk,  but  neither  Temple 
nor  his  companion  was  unduly  interested  in  him.  It 
was  only  when  the  train  arrived  at  Waldthal  that  the 
two  travelers  discovered  they  were  bound  for  the 
same  destination.  Both  were  for  the  Hotel  du 
Cerf. 


54  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

That  evening,  the  dullness  of  the  meal  mitigated 
by  his  amiable  companion,  Temple  passed  in  adum- 
brating plans  for  future  expeditions.  He  had  written 
to  his  mother  that  he  intended  to  explore  the  Odenstock, 
so  far  as  it  extended  into  Eisenburg,  and  possibly  that 
he  would  strike  through  the  forest  to  France  and  Paris. 
He  also  added  that  he  had  a  matter  to  clear  up  regard- 
ing a  victim  of  the  unfortunate  railway  accident.  Be- 
fore he  went  to  bed  that  night  he  did,  in  fact,  pen  a 
letter  to  Count  Cavari's  secretary,  M.  Ventmayer, 
asking  formally  if  any  further  information  in  regard 
to  the  unknown  lady  had  been  obtained.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  letter  he  suggested  that  the  identity  of 
the  lady  might  be  discovered  by  advertisement  in  news- 
papers in  sundry  European  capitals,  if  accompanied 
by  an  adequate  description;  and  he  added  his  willing- 
ness to  be  charged  with  the  cost  of  this. 

At  breakfast  next  morning  he  discovered  his  associ- 
ate of  the  train  was  a  commercial  traveler.  He  was 
bearded,  and  rather  gray  of  face,  and  scant  of  hair, 
and  a  shrewd  eye  kept  watch  upon  the  world.  A  heavy 
mist  of  rain  hung  over  the  Odenstock,  and  a  drizzle 
filled  the  valley.  Temple,  after  a  turn  in  the  rain, 
sought  the  hotel  and  its  company.  At  lunch  he  had 
Kartolen,  the  commercial  traveler,  for  sole  company, 
and  the  enforced  seclusion  wrought  them  to  a  nearer 
intimacy  than  they  would  otherwise  have  achieved. 

"Yes,  I  am  German,"  said  Herr  Kartolen  frankly, 
with  a  movement  of  his  shoulders.  "They  hate  us 
here,  but  business  is  business,  and  they  can't  afford 
to  neglect  the  cash  basis.  You  see,  Eisenburg,  while 
outside  the  confederation,  is  within  the  Zollverein. 
We  do  business  together.  No  doubt,  they  would  sooner 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  55 

work  with  France,  but  the  Powers  and  treaties  and 
history  have  decided  otherwise." 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  again,  as  though  he  viewed 
all  such  matters  cynically,  and  even  with  a  light  heart. 
He  was  certainly  a  remarkably  mundane  commercial 
traveler,  possessed  of  a  wide  and  tolerant  outlook. 

"  I  sell  my  silks  in  Eisenburg,"  he  said,  "  and  I  sell 
them  cheaper  than  France  can  afford  to  do.  The  Zol- 
verein  sees  to  that.  So  naturally,  the  Eisenburgers 
deal  with  me,  and  I  in  turn  with  them." 

"I  have  heard,"  remarked  Temple,  "that  they  do 
not  love  the  Germans,  which  is  why  they  were  so  keen 
on  the  heir." 

"Well,  they  have  got  him.  It  is  of  no  consequence 
now,"  said  Herr  Kartolen.  "  I  don't  suppose  Germany 
is,  or  was,  anxious  to  swallow  the  sweet  morsel.  After 
all,  we  have  all  we  want  practically  in  a  Customs- 
union." 

"There  was  great  excitement  in  the  Castle  the  night 
the  Grand  Duke  was  born,"  observed  Temple  medi- 
tatively, as  he  drew  at  his  cigar,  and  looked  mentally 
backwards  to  that  eventful  night. 

Herr  Kartolen  had  turned  and  was  regarding  him 
with  interest. 

"How  so?"  he  said.  "Did  you  know  anything 
of  it?" 

"Why,  yes,"  said  the  Englishman,  who  had  been 
bored  all  morning,  and  had  lunched  comfortably. 
He  stretched  himself  out  and  puffed.  "I  was  in  the 
Castle  that  night  —  by  a  chance." 

Herr  Kartolen  said  nothing,  but  from  his  attention 
he  evidently  expected  that  more  was  coming. 

"I  was   in   the  railway  accident,  you  know,"   ex- 


56  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

plained  Sir  Philip,  "and  there  was  an  injured  woman 
I  tried  to  convey  to  safety.  We  hit  the  Castle.  So  I 
came  to  be  there  on  that  auspicious  occasion." 

For  a  moment  Herr  Kartolen  did  not  say  anything, 
and  then  he  asked:  "You  were  in  the  Castle  during 
the  birth  of  the  Grand  Duke?" 

"  I  don't  know  —  possibly.  We  heard  the  joy-bells 
from  here.  I  was  admitted  to  high  society,"  he  added 
with  a  smile.  "  I  interviewed  the  Chancellor,  and  I " 

The  innkeeper  broke  in  upon  his  sentence  with 
effusive  apologies.  A  gentleman  was  desirous  of  speak- 
ing with  M.  Temple.  M.  Temple  rose  and  followed 
his  host  in  a  leisurely  manner.  He  led  the  way  to  a 
room  downstairs,  where  little  Kuss  was  in  waiting, 
very  deferential,  but  also  very  important. 

"Monsieur,  I  am  commissioned  to  hand  you  this," 
he  announced  with  an  air,  offering  a  sealed  letter. 

Temple  broke  the  seal  and  opened  the  envelope, 
but  found  no  reason  for  all  this  ceremony.  It  was  a 
communication  from  Ventmayer,  the  Chancellor's 
secretary,  regretting  that  there  had  been  no  further 
elucidation  of  the  identity  of  the  woman  buried  in 
St.  Michael's  Churchyard.  The  police,  the  missive 
added,  were  still  engaged  in  inquiries,  and  had  not 
abandoned  hope.  The  interest  in  this  negative  letter 
was  in  the  concluding  sentence.  "In  reference  to 
your  suggestion,  if  you  can  spare  time,  to  call  on  me 
between  2  p.  m.  and  4  p.  m.  I  shall  be  glad  to  discuss 
the  matter  with  you." 

Temple  took  out  his  watch.  It  was  now  after  3 
o'clock,  and  the  Castle  was  a  mile  away.  The  rain 
had  stopped,  and  the  sun  was  shining  through  broken 
clouds. 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  57 

"  I  am  thinking  of  going  to  the  Castle,"  he  told  Kuss. 
"May  I  have  the  pleasure  of  your  company?" 

The  little  man  apologized,  and  expressed  a  sense 
of  his  disappointment,  but  he  had  another  important 
errand  in  the  Chancellor's  service;  he  would  otherwise 
have  been  honored. 

"If  you  are  going  to  the  Castle,  sir,  try  the  park 
road,"  he  suggested.  "  It  is  shorter  and  more  beautiful 
than  the  regular  road,  though  not  easy  to  find  by 
night." 

Temple  thanked  him  and  asked  him  for  directions, 
which  he  received.  He  was  to  mount  the  long  slope 
behind  the  inn,  follow  the  track  to  the  pines,  and  then 
turn  to  the  right,  entering  the  outer  circle  of  the  park 
—  after  which  it  was  an  easy  way.  Sir  Philip  strolled 
out  into  the  square  in  which  the  Hotel  du  Cerf  stood, 
and  chatted  a  moment  with  the  man  ere  they  parted. 
He  was  aware  as  he  moved  away  of  the  gray  face  of 
Herr  Kartolen  peering  down  on  them  from  the  upper 
windows  of  the  inn. 

The  sun  emerged  farther  from  his  lair  as  Temple 
mounted,  and  on  the  ledge  of  hill  above  the  village 
he  had  a  wonderful  view  of  the  gorges  of  the  Oden- 
stock,  and  of  the  range  of  hills  which  descended  to- 
wards the  city  of  Eisenburg.  A  quarter  of  an  hour's 
climbing  brought  him  to  the  borders  of  the  Castle 
grounds,  and  he  found  the  open  entrance  into  the  outer 
or  public  circle  without  any  difficulty.  This  outer 
circle  was  an  environing  fringe  of  wood  through  which 
ran  paths  for  the  foot-passenger.  But  it  was  not  easy 
to  say  which  should  be  followed  for  the  route  to  the 
Castle.  Temple,  indeed,  was  soon  at  a  loss,  for  the 
wood  blotted  out  any  view  of  the  Castle,  and  he  had 


58  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

only  a  vague  knowledge  of  the  direction  which  he 
should  take.  Twice  he  thought  that  he  heard  steps 
behind  him,  and  twice  he  turned  in  the  hope  of  finding 
some  one  of  whom  he  could  inquire  the  way.  The 
second  time  he  was  quite  certain  that  a  man  had  been 
for  a  moment  between  the  boles  of  two  pines,  but  it 
was  only  for  a  moment.  He  vanished  in  an  instant. 

Temple  wandered  on  in  search  of  a  clue  to  his  position, 
and  presently  turned  through  a  swing-gate  on  a  path 
which  seemed  of  greater  consequence  than  those  he 
had  been  following.  This  took  him  by  a  grove  and 
some  copses  out  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  upon  a 
sward  in  which  was  set  a  small  lake,  and  a  waterfall 
brawling  out  of  it.  Simultaneously  with  this  revela- 
tion Sir  Philip  made  the  discovery  of  a  woman. 

She  was  clad  in  black  and  was  tall  of  figure  and 
gracefully  modeled.  Her  hair  was  of  dark  bronze, 
and  her  face,  turned  to  him  inquiringly,  was  quick 
of  blood,  and  fresh  and  active.  Its  amazing  beauty 
was  the  dominant  impression  Temple  got  from  the 
unexpected  vision ;  and  after  that  he  had  a  vague  sense 
of  something  familiar  in  it,  but  he  could  not  say  what. 
She  addressed  him  in  a  cool,  clear  voice,  in  which, 
nevertheless,  was  an  imperative  note. 

"You  must  have  lost  your  way.  This  is  the  Grand 
Duke's  park." 

Temple  took  off  his  cap  and  bowed.  "I  beg  your 
pardon,"  he  said  in  French,  which  language  she  had 
used.  "I  have  been  misled,  or  rather,  I  have  been 
stupid.  I  was  directed  to  a  short  cut  to  the  Castle  — 
on  the  outskirts,  I  was  told,  of  the  park.  I  seem  to  have 
blundered  into  it." 

"Yes,"  she  said,  after  a  pause  in  which  she  had 


, 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  59 

studied  him.  "  Beyond  the  fences  is  open  to  the  public 
—  by  permission.  This  is  private  property  and  wholly 
reserved." 

"I  am  much  obliged  for  the  information,"  said  he; 
"and  if,  Madame,  you  will  kindly  tell  me  how  to  get 
out  I  will  proceed  at  once  to  cease  the  trespass." 

There  was  a  little  smile  on  his  face  as  he  spoke, 
which  she  did  not  answer. 

"You  are  English?"  she  inquired,  gazing  at  him 
seriously. 

"lam." 

She  meditated,  but  apparently  abandoned  her  train 
of  thought.  "If  you  cross  by  the  rhododendrons, 
you  will  find  a  pathway,  which  leads  straight  into  the 
public  wood,  and  the  track  from  there  to  the  Castle 
is  unmistakable." 

Temple  thanked  her,  could  conceive  no  reason  for 
lingering,  as  he  would  have  wished,  and  with  a  saluta- 
tion left  her.  Glancing  back,  he  saw  her  resume  her 
walk  towards  the  ornamental  water  in  the  greensward, 
and  then  he  passed  behind  the  rhododendrons.  Beyond 
was  a  broad  gravel  path  which  descended  from  an 
upper  terrace  and  led  to  the  water,  and  on  this  was 
a  group  of  three  or  four  women,  armed  with  sunshades, 
and  white  wraps  across  their  arms;  one  of  them  was 
carrying  an  infant.  Temple  had  just  time  to  take  this 
scene  in  as  he  turned  to  look  for  his  own  path,  when 
he  was  aware  of  a  noise  of  feet.  The  heavy  pounding 
drew  his  ear,  and  he  wheeled  to  the  left.  Down  from  the 
wooded  shrubbery  above  him  three  men  were  running 
towards  him.  He  came  to  a  pause  in  wonder,  and  the 
nearest,  who  was  by  this  a  dozen  yards  away,  shouted : 

"Halt!" 


60  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

As  a  matter  of  fact  Temple  had  halted,  and  was 
waiting,  with  his  hand  on  his  stick.  The  next  moment 
the  man  precipitated  himself  upon  him  roughly. 
Temple  gave  way  before  the  unanticipated  assault, 
and  then  resisted. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  demanded,  but  ere  he 
could  say  or  do  anything  further  the  man's  companions 
had  arrived,  and  he  was  seized  on  three  quarters.  He 
made  no  struggle  now. 

"  I  should  just  like  to  know  exactly  what  this  means," 
he  asked  quietly,  looking  from  one  to  another  of  his 
captors. 

"A  cool  hand!  It's  a  mercy  we  had  warning  of 
him,  Gorlatz.  Steady!  Have  you  the  handcuffs?" 

The  men  spoke  with  each  other  in  evident  excite- 
ment without  heeding  his  question.  Temple's  eyes 
passed  from  them  quickly  to  the  middle  distance,  to 
the  ornamental  water  along  which  the  young  lady  in 
black  was  walking,  to  the  nurses  in  white  with  the 
child. 

"Just  in  the  nick  of  time,  Hugo,"  said  one  of  the 
trio  with  gusto.  "  Another  five  minutes  and  —  who 
knows  what  would  have  happened?" 

"Will  you  explain  what  this  outrage  signifies?" 
asked  Temple  sternly. 

"You  must  come  with  us,  my  man,"  said  the  man 
addressed  as  Gorlatz.  "You  must  cool  your  heels  in 
prison  for  some  time,  I  reckon.  It  will  give  you  time 
to  think." 

Over  the  head  of  the  man  who  held  his  left  arm 
Sir  Philip  could  see  the  young  lady  in  black  come  to 
a  pause  and  stare,  and  then  she  moved  resolutely  and 
swiftly  towards  them.  None  of  his  captors  saw  her 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  61 

approaching,  and  her  words  fell  on  their  astonished 
ears: 

"What  is  this?" 

Gorlatz  backed,  and  would  have  saluted  if  his  hands 
had  been  free,  but  as  it  was  only  made  an  uncouth 
movement  of  his  head. 

"Your  Highness,  it  is  a  villain,  a  suspect,"  he 
blurted. 

In  that  instant  Temple  knew  how  it  was  there  had 
been  something  familiar  to  him  about  her;  he  had 
seen  her  dimly  in  the  Castle  on  the  night  of  the  Grand 
Duke's  birth.  This  was  the  Princess  Alise. 

"I  fancy  these  good  fellows  have  made  a  mistake," 
said  he  mildly.  "They  have  apparently  had  warning 
of  some  evildoer,  and  have  rushed  to  a  conclusion. 
I  am,  as  your  Highness  knows,  only  a  wandering  and 
trespassing  Englishman.  My  name  is  Sir  Philip 
Temple." 

"He  is  one  Karl  Ketschinski ! "  declared  Gorlatz 
stoutly.  "We  had  warning  to  look  out  for  him  this 
morning  from  the  police  at  Eisenburg  —  Karl  Ketschin- 
ski, suspected  of  a  plot  to  abduct  his  Highness." 

The  Princess  was  collecting  her  information  from 
the  various  faces  she  saw.  Of  these  one  was  a  tanned, 
handsome  face,  with  a  cool  and  capable  air;  the  other 
three  were  honest,  hot,  and  strenuous  faces  of  the  class 
to  which  they  belonged. 

"There  is  probably  a  mistake,"  she  said. 

"Your  Highness,  no;  the  description  is  exact," 
pleaded  Gorlatz.  "The  man  has  been  known  to  be 
hanging  about  here  in  a  suspicious  manner  for  some 
time.  We  watched  from  the  village  and  saw  him  enter 
the  park.  Consider,  your  Highness,  I  beg,  at  what 


62  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

point  he  was  arrested."  And  Gorlatz's  finger  pointed 
tremulously  towards  the  group  of  nurses. 

"The  Grand  Duke!"  murmured  the  Princess. 

Gorlatz  nodded  eagerly,  significantly. 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  more  to  be  said  just  now," 
said  Temple,  with  a  little  smile.  "On  behalf  of  all 
of  us  I  apologize  for  the  interruption  of  your  walk  by 
this  violent  and  foolish  scene.  If  these  good  gentle- 
men will  only  tell  me  where  they  want  me  to  go,  I've 
no  doubt  I  can  accommodate  them  with  suitable  proofs 
of  my  identity  in  a  brief  time." 

"You  have  witnesses  who  can  testify  to  you?" 
she  asked. 

"Several,  including  some  at  the  Castle  itself.  Pray," 
said  he  to  his  captors,  "where  are  we  for?" 

It  seemed  that  he  was  to  be  taken  to  the  village 
prison,  and  Temple  smiled  again.  "A  thousand 
apologies,  your  Highness,"  he  said,  managing  to  lift 
his  cap  with  a  hand  which  his  captors  had  freed  on 
the  evidence  of  his  submission.  But  they  took  no  risks. 
Slowly  and  carefully  they  marched  him  out  of  the  park, 
and  the  Princess  watched  the  party  fade  into  the  wood 
above  with  an  interest  which  the  element  of  doubt  in 
the  affair  had  quickened. 

Temple,  committed  to  the  ridiculous  adventure, 
chatted  in  a  friendly  fashion  with  his  guards,  who 
were  too  triumphant  to  be  quite  official  in  their  de- 
meanor. They  responded  up  to  a  point  almost  amiably, 
but  assumed  a  stormy  front  when  he  touched  on  his 
supposed  offense.  "We  obey  orders,"  said  Gorlatz 
curtly,  and  he  was  obliged  to  leave  it  there. 

The  village  prison  proved  to  be  a  substantial  stone 
building,  behind  the  post-office,  where  a  posse  of  police 


ONE  KETSCHINSKI  63 

was  invariably  stationed  during  the  Court's  residence 
at  the  Castle.  Through  the  village  Temple  walked  with 
his  captors,  and  as  he  neared  the  Hotel  du  Cerf  he  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  call  the  landlord,  who  would  testify 
to  him. 

"He  could  say  you  called  yourself  so-and-so,"  re- 
marked Gorlatz  sensibly.  "He  could  not  say  if  you 
were  what  you  called  yourself.  Rest  assured,  you  shall 
have  your  turn  when  your  case  comes  up." 

With  this  prospect  Temple  had  to  be  content.  As 
he  passed  the  inn  equably  enough  he  glanced  up  at 
the  windows.  Was  it  fancy,  or  did  he  catch  a  glimpse 
of  Herr  Kartolen's  gray  face,  watching  him  return, 
as  it  had  watched  him  go? 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    STAR    CHAMBER 

ONCE  lodged  in  the  police-cell,  and  thus  care- 
fully secluded,  Temple  was  used  with  decent 
hospitality  by  his  gaolers.  They  seemed  almost  friendly 
now  that  he  was  caged  —  a  violent  desperado  with 
designs  on  the  life  or  liberty  of  the  infant  Grand  Duke. 
That  was  what  he  had  gathered  they  suspected  him, 
or  rather  the  person  for  whom  he  had  been  mistaken, 
of  plotting.  Gorlatz  evidently  was  under  the  im- 
pression that  his  name  was  made  and  his  fortune  as- 
sured by  the  feat  of  the  capture.  He  sent  a  telegram 
announcing  it  in  magnificent  style,  and  in  return  re- 
ceived his  instructions  from  Eisenburg  and  his  superiors. 
A  certain  M.  Preval  would  arrive  from  the  capital 
to  undertake  the  trial;  and,  sure  enough,  M.  Preval 
arrived  that  same  night. 

Gorlatz  had  carried  out  his  instructions  to  the  letter, 
and  had  suffered  the  prisoner  to  make  no  communi- 
cations with  the  outer  world. 

"Wait,  wait,"  was  his  reply  to  Temple's  protests; 
"you  shall  have  opportunity  to  prove  all  you  say  in 
good  time." 

This,  of  course,  was  Gorlatz's  irony,  for  he  knew 
that  the  prisoner  could  demonstrate  nothing  except  his 
guilt.  But  Gorlatz  felt  very  magisterial,  and  was  in 
his  best  judicial  form  throughout  this  time,  so  that 
the  blow  fell  upon  him  all  the  more  severely.  Gorlatz 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  65 

had  anticipated  a  triumphal  entry  into  Eisenburg, 
a  heroic  appearance  in  the  witness-box,  an  admiring 
"house,"  so  to  speak,  and  the  applause  of  his  fellow- 
countrymen.  But  it  was  soon  made  known  by  M. 
Preval  that  he  was  to  be  disappointed.  The  trial 
was  not  to  take  place  in  Eisenburg;  and  so  far  from 
being  conducted  in  the  limelight,  it  was  to  be  a  very 
private  affair. 

"The  Government,  my  dear  sir,"  explained  the 
advocate  suavely,  "are  not  anxious  to  give  these  con- 
spirators advertisement.  I'm  sure  an  intelligent 
officer  like  yourself  will  at  once  understand  the  motive 
underlying  the  wish  for  a  quiet  affair.  In  fact" — 
M.  Preval  adjusted  his  glass  — "  if  we  can  manage 
without  representatives  of  the  Press  so  much  the 
better.  I  trust,  M.  Gorlatz,  you  have  been  discreet, 
and  not  published  this  little  business  abroad" — he 
laid  a  persuasive  hand  on  the  officer's  shoulder  and 
looked  earnestly  through  his  glasses  at  him — "so 
much  depends  on  being  discreet,  so  very  much,"  he 
purred  on,  "to  all  parties,  including,  my  dear  Gorlatz, 
yourself.  If  there  is  one  thing  valuable  in  a  public 
servant  it  is  discretion;  if  there  is  one  thing  that  is 
appreciated  it  is  discretion." 

By  the  time  M.  Preval  and  his  dulcet  voice  had 
finished,  Gorlatz  had  recovered  from  his  disappoint- 
ment only  to  extend  his  hopes  in  another  direction. 
Privacy,  it  seemed  —  •"  discretion "  was  the  beautiful 
word  —  could  avail  as  much  as  publicity ;  and  though 
it  was  with  a  sigh  that  he  dismissed  his  ideas  of  the 
stage  and  the  limelight,  he  threw  himself  energetically 
into  the  new  role  which  M.  Pre^al  had  assigned  to 
him. 


66  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Naturally  the  affair  could  not  be  kept  wholly  secret, 
for  even  in  a  little  place  gossip  runs  from  lip  to  lip. 
It  was  known  in  Waldthal  that  the  police  had  made 
an  arrest  in  the  Castle  Park,  and  it  was  rumored  that 
it  was  in  connection  with  the  plot  against  the  Grand 
Duke.  It  was  Herr  Kartolen  who  acquainted  the  inn- 
keeper, Maillac,  with  the  astonishing  news  of  the 
suspect's  indentity  —  Herr  Kartolen  over  his  evening 
meal. 

"So  our  friend  M.  Temple  is  a  conspirator  and  a 
wicked  man,"  he  observed  cheerfully. 

Maillac  stared  and  gaped.  "But  why?"  he  asked. 
"I  myself  have  admired  M.  Temple  as  an  honorable 
gentleman." 

Kartolen  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Appearances 
are  deceptive,  my  friend.  This  arrest  that  the  police 
have  made  is  of  your  admired  M.  Temple." 

Maillac  was  startled  and  horrified,  and  also  incredu- 
lous, but  Herr  Kartolen  seemed  confident  of  his  facts. 

"I  saw  the  party  pass  into  the  village,"  he  said  in- 
differently. "You  might  have  told  they  were  police  a 
mile  off.  Thus  you  do  business  in  Eisenburg?" 

"M.  Temple!"  repeated  the  astonished  Maillac. 
"But  he  was  in  the  railway  accident;  he  came  here 
from  the  accident  that  night!" 

"  I  have  no  doubt  he  said  so,"  remarked  the  German, 
stirring  his  coffee.  "  It  was  an  excellent  night  to  arrive." 

"M.  Temple!"  The  good  fellow  could  not  get 
over  it. 

"M.  Temple"  was  at  that  moment  in  anything  but 
a  good  temper.  He  had  been  relying  upon  his  ability 
to  shatter  the  absurd  figment  of  the  police  whenever 
he  chose;  and  now  the  pigheadedness  of  a  sergeant 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  67 

prevented  him  from  doing  so.  He  was  allowed  to 
call  no  one  as  to  his  identity,  and  to  communicate  with 
no  one  until  the  magistrate  had  been  informed  of  his 
case  and  should  give  authority.  Thus  he  perforce  spent 
the  night  in  his  cell  in  an  irritable  frame  of  mind. 

In  the  morning  he  was  summoned  from  his  cell  and 
haled  into  a  small  room  in  the  police-station,  in  which 
two  men  were  seated  at  a  table,  talking  in  undertones. 

One  of  these,  wearing  gold-rimmed  spectacles,  and 
having  a  benevolent  aspect,  looked  up  as  he  entered, 
shot  him  a  glance,  and  resumed  his  discussion.  The 
other,  a  dingy,  dried-looking  man  of  fifty,  paid  no 
heed  to  the  entrance.  After  a  while  the  man  with  the 
dingy  face  gathered  up  some  papers  and  spoke. 

"This  is  the  prisoner" — he  examined  a  paper  — 
"Ketschinski?" 

"Yes,  your  honor,"   snapped   Gorlatz  importantly. 

Temple  surveyed  the  scene  placidly;  he  had  re- 
covered his  temper,  and  now  that  he  was  in  responsible 
hands  he  had  no  doubt  as  to  his  immediate  release. 

The  magistrate  conferred  again  in  undertones  with 
the  gentleman  with  gold-rimmed  glasses,  who  was  no 
other  than  M.  Preval. 

"The  charge  is  one  of  attempted  abduction,"  said 
the  dingy  man.  "You  have  not  included  treason." 
He  looked  across  at  the  advocate. 

"That,  your  honor,"  said  M.  Preval  smoothly, 
"was  for  specific  reasons.  We  are  quite  content  to 
rest  on  our  present  count." 

The  magistrate  mumbled  something,  and,  adjusting 
himself,  looked  at  the  prisoner. 

"I  assume,  your  honor,"  said  Temple  mildly,  "that 
I  shall  be  called  upon  to  plead,  and  I  plead  not  guilty. 


68  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

There  has  been  a  mistake  of  identity  owing  to  the  — 
well,  to  the  zeal  of  the  police  officers." 

"He  pleads  mistaken  identity,"  said  the  magistrate 
to  M.  Preval.  "Have  you  Ketschinksi's  dossier?" 

"Certainly,  your  honor;  we  are  prepared  with  all 
the  necessary  proofs.  There  is  this  —  and  this." 

For  some  minutes  the  magistrate  pored  over  the 
papers  handed  to  him,  and  then  he  addressed  Temple. 

"Who  do  you  say  you  are?" 

"I  am  Sir  Philip  Temple,  of  Templemore,  in  the 
county  of  Somerset,  England,"  said  the  prisoner. 
"The  mistake  is  one  easily  discovered  and  rectified. 
If  you  will  communicate  with  his  Excellency  Count 
Cavari,  he  will  be  able  to  testify  to  my  name  and  to 
the  circumstances  in  which  I  arrived  at  Waldthal." 

The  advocate  and  the  judge  conferred.  "His  Ex- 
cellency is  not  in  Waldthal,"  said  the  latter  at  last. 
"  He  is  in  Eisenburg." 

"Eisenburg  is  not  inaccessible,"  suggested  Temple. 

Again  came  a  conference,  and  the  judge  asked 
presently : 

"Have  you  any  other  witnesses?" 

"Yes,"  said  Philip,  "there  is  Captain  du  Vallon, 
of  the  Waldthal  Guards,  who  can  answer  for  me" 
—  he  considered  —  "  and  Herr  Kuss,  who  is,  I  believe, 
in  the  employment  of  the  Chancellor,  also  the  inn- 
keeper at  the  Hotel  du  Cerf." 

"We  shall  see,"  said  the  magistrate  dully.  "We 
will  put  back  the  case  till  later,  and  communicate  with 
those  you  have  named." 

With  that  Temple  had  to  be  content,  and  back  he 
was  marched  to  his  prison,  with  a  glorious  May  sun 
shining  without  on  a  beautiful  and  alluring  world. 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  69 

He  endeavored  to  possess  his  soul  in  patience  until 
such  time  as  the  summons  once  more  came  for 
him.  He  glanced  about  the  room,  but  saw  neither  Du 
Vallon  nor  little  Kuss;  but  Maillac  was  there,  looking 
rather  uncomfortable  for  all  his  good-natured  smile. 
He  avoided  the  prisoner's  eye. 

After  testimony  had  been  given  by  Gorlatz  and  the 
other  police  officers,  and  certain  depositions  regarding 
Ketschinski  had  been  put  in  by  M.  Preval,  the  magis- 
trate addressed  Temple. 

"You  can  call  your  witnesses,"  he  said. 

Temple  looked  round  helplessly;  his  case  was 
being  conducted  after  a  fashion  he  had  never  dreamed 
of. 

"I  call  Captain  du  Vallon,"  he  said. 

Gorlatz  got  on  his  legs.  "  May  it  please  your  honor 
Captain  du  Vallon  is  absent  on  affairs  of  state,  I  under- 
stand, in  Paris." 

"In  that  case,"  remarked  the  magistrate  as  sagely 
as  the  King  of  Hearts  in  "Alice  in  Wonderland" — 
"in  that  case  he  is  not  available." 

"  For  the  time  being,"  corrected  the  prisoner.  "  Then 
there  is  Herr  Kuss." 

Again  M.  Preval  was  on  his  legs.  "Herr  Kuss 
has  been  communicated  with,  but  is  ill  in  bed  in 
Eisenburg." 

The  prisoner's  teeth  showed  in  a  smile,  but  M. 
Preval,  looking  at  him,  somehow  doubted  if  it  indicated 
either  good  temper  or  a  sense  of  humor. 

"At  least  M.  Maillac  is  here,"  said  Temple,  turning 
towards  the  innkeeper. 

It  was  obvious  that  Maillac  was  much  perturbed, 
and  he  shuffled  his  feet. 


70  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"Let  Clement  Maillac  be  produced,"  said  the  magis- 
trate heavily. 

It  was  Gorlatz  who  importantly  ushered  the  inn- 
keeper forward,  and  Gorlatz  who  told  him  where  to 
stand  and  at  whom  to  look.  From  his  appearance 
it  might  have  been  Maillac  who  was  charged  with  an 
offense  rather  than  the  Englishman. 

"You  know  the  prisoner?"  asked  the  magistrate 
after  preliminaries. 

"Yes,  your  honor,"  said  the  frightened  Maillac. 

"What  is  the  name  he  goes  by?" 

"M.  Temple." 

To  Philip  it  savored  more  and  more  of  "  Alice  in 
Wonderland."  Up  jumped  M.  Preval. 

"  I  ask  your  honor  to  note  that  the  prisoner  gave  his 
name  as  Sir  Philip  Temple.  Now,  I  want  to  ask  the 
witness  one  question,  if  I  have  your  leave,  sir.  Have 
you  any  grounds  for  supposing  that  Temple  is  the 
prisoner's  name?" 

"I  think  it  is  his  name,  sir,"  said  Maillac.  "He 
was  in  the  railway  accident,  and  — 

"Pardon  me,  M.  Maillac;  who  informed  you  of 
that?" 

"M.  Temple  himself.    He  said  - 

M.  Preval  put  up  a  deprecating  hand.  "So  that 
you  have  it  from  the  prisoner  himself  that  his  name  is 
Temple  and  that  he  was  in  the  railway  accident? 
You  heard  it  from  no  one  else?" 

Poor  Maillac  was  obliged  to  confess  that  he  had 
not.  M.  Preval  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  glanced  at 
the  impassive  magistrate. 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  began,  "whether  in  the  cir- 
cumstances, there  being  no  corroboration  of  the  prisoner's 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  71 

statement,  and  having  in  view  the  particulars  of  the 
dossier  and  the  documents,  your  honor  — 

But  the  prisoner  broke  in  abruptly.  His  teeth  no 
longer  showed,  but  his  eyes  were  narrowed,  and  M. 
Preval  observed  a  strange  light  in  them. 

"Do  I  understand,"  he  said,  speaking  incisively, 
so  that  every  word  told  in  the  room  —  "do  I 
understand  that  I  am  to  have  no  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  dossier  and  the  documents  put  in  by 
counsel?" 

"You  may  call  what  witnesses  you  will  to  testify 
to  your  identity,"  said  the  magistrate,  eying  him 
somberly. 

"If  this  ridiculous  affair  is  to  be  taken  seriously," 
said  Temple,  after  a  pause,  "I  shall  ask  it  to  be  put 
back  in  order  that  I  may  have  an  opportunity  of  com- 
municating with  my  witnesses." 

M.  Preval  was  on  his  feet.  "I  press,  sir,"  he  said, 
in  his  civilest but  most  impressive  manner  —  "I  press 
for  summary  proceedings.  In  view  of  the  urgency 
of  the  case " 

Temple's  glance  went  about  the  chamber.  He  noted 
three  policemen,  the  magistrate,  M.  Preval,  and  little 
Maillac,  fluttered  and  frightened.  The  advocate's 
voice  murmured  on  pleasantly.  Again  Temple's  teeth 
gleamed;  he  began  to  understand.  There  was  not  one 
single  avenue  there  by  which  this  infamous  parody 
of  justice  might  reach  the  public.  Maillac  was  obvi- 
ously too  ignorant  and  too  flustered  to  realize  the 
significance  of  what  was  in  progress;  the  policemen 
were  officially  deaf  and  blind ;  and  the  two  conspirators 
at  the  table  were  sphinxine  and  enigmatic.  As  well 
look  for  justice  from  wolves  as  from  them.  He  saw 


72  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

what  it  meant  now,  this  travesty.     It  was  intended 
that  he  should  be  convicted. 

He  had  no  time  then  to  ask  himself  the  reason;  it 
was  an  obvious  inference,  that  was  all  —  an  inference 
which  every  iniquitous  step  in  that  farce  justified  - 
indeed,  rendered  inevitable.  His  ears  again  became 
audient.  M.  Preval,  in  his  most  courteous  and  oily 
manner,  was  agreeing  to  an  adjournment  till  the  fol- 
lowing day. 

"  Beyond  that,  sir,  the  exigencies  of  this  most  nefari- 
ous case  will  not  allow  me  to  go." 

He  sat  down. 

"This  case  is  adjourned,"  announced  the  magistrate 
formally,  "until  to-morrow,  to  enable  the  prisoner  to 
produce  his  evidence." 

When  he  had  returned  to  his  cell,  Temple  at  once 
demanded  pen  and  ink  and  paper  of  his  gaolers;  and, 
after  some  delay,  and  an  apparent  reference  to  supe- 
rior authorities,  he  obtained  them.  Then  he  squared 
his  elbows  to  the  work  of  writing  letters.  He  wrote  to 
his  Excellency  the  Chancellor  at  Eisenburg,  to  Cap- 
tain du  Vallon  (to  be  forwarded),  to  the  British  Consul 
at  the  capital,  to  a  friend  in  a  high  position  in  Berlin, 
and  to  the  Marquis  de  Pomeau  Laval  in  Paris,  whose 
guest  he  had  lately  been.  He  carefully  closed  these 
up,  and,  producing  money,  called  the  particular  gaoler 
on  watch. 

"I  want  these  letters  posted  at  once,"  said  he,  look- 
ing the  man  squarely  in  the  face.  "Would  you  ask 
M.  Gorlatz  to  see  that  this  is  done  ?  He  is  at  liberty 
to  read  the  communications  if  he  chooses.  They  are 
written  for  the  purpose  of  securing  my  evidence." 

The  man  looked  dull  and  honest  enough,  and  he 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  73 

took  the  money,  which  more  than  covered  the  postage, 
without  demur,  declaring  that  they  should  be  faith- 
fully delivered  to  the  Chief  of  Police. 

Temple  had  no  doubt  that  they  would  be,  and  he 
had  also  no  doubt  that  the  Chief  of  Police  would  faith- 
fully deliver  them  to  some  one  else  —  say,  M.  Preval. 
It  was  his  test,  but  it  was  not  a  test  which  he  felt  was 
really  necessary.  He  knew  now  that  those  letters  would 
not  be  delivered  to  their  inscribed  destinations,  and 
he  wanted  a  demonstration  of  it  definitely  and,  so  to 
speak,  en  masse  —  on  a  scale,  that  is,  which  could 
not  be  denied.  He  made  a  note  of  the  date  and  the 
addresses  in  his  pocket-book,  and  then  abandoned 
himself  to  thought. 

He  had  two  lines  upon  which  his  mind  drifted  — 
the  one  as  to  the  reason  of  this  extraordinary  con- 
spiracy against  him,  the  other  the  more  practical  and 
pressing  matter  of  his  future  action.  As  to  the  first, 
he  was  helpless;  he  could  make  nothing  out  of 
the  situation,  and  could  only  conclude  that  for  some 
reason  or  other  these  provincial  officials  deemed  him 
dangerous  to  the  State,  and  were  resolved  to  convict 
him.  He  threw  aside  these  conjectures  for  the  moment 
to  take  up  a  consideration  of  his  course  of  action.  He 
was  to  go  before  the  so-called  court,  this  miniature 
star  chamber,  on  the  following  morning,  and  if  his 
witnesses  did  not  appear  he  would  be  condemned. 
He  did  not  know  what  sort  of  sentence  was  passed 
for  such  an  offense  as  he  was  charged  with,  but,  look- 
ing at  it  frankly,  he  could  not  but  confess  that  it 
must  be  something  considerable.  The  letters  would 
not  reach  the  persons  to  whom  they  were  addressed, 
unless  perhaps  Count  Cavari  should  get  his.  There, 


74  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

indeed,  lay  his  only  hope  —  in  the  Chancellor  in  Eisen- 
burg,  already  immersed  in  the  business  of  State  created 
by  the  political  emergency.  The  obsequies  of  the 
Grand  Duchess  had  taken  place  during  Temple's  ab- 
sence in  England.  He  had  read  of  them  in  the  papers, 
and  had  gathered  also  sundry  rumors  concerning  the 
future  of  Eisenburg.  It  was  stated  that  the  succession 
of  the  Grand  Duke  had  been  informally  proclaimed, 
but  that  a  public  ceremony  would  take  place  in  the 
capital  after  the  funeral.  He  had  read  somewhere,  too, 
a  report  that  the  Princess  Alise  was  to  be  appointed 
Regent.  The  Chancellor  was  involved  in  all  these 
important  matters,  and  it  was  possible  that  Temple's 
letter  might  be  overlooked;  somehow  he  did  not  con- 
sider it  likely  that  they  would  dare  to  keep  it  back. 
As  for  the  Consul  —  well,  he  did  not  know.  He  had 
not  much  faith  in  the  treatment  that  might  be  extended 
to  a  mere  Consul. 

The  prospect,  then,  was  unpromising;  but  he  ate 
heartily  of  his  supper,  drank  of  a  special  vintage  of 
wine  which  he  had  discovered  at  the  Hotel  du  Cerf, 
and  finally  slept  well  to  the  sound  of  the  Larche,  which 
came  through  the  bars  of  the  high  grating. 

Yet  it  appeared  next  morning  that  he  had  been 
mistaken  in  one  point;  and,  with  the  removal  of  that 
suspicion  on  his  part,  be  began  to  wonder  if,  after  all, 
it  was  not  merely  a  case  of  gross  Dogberryism  and 
rustic  incompetency.  It  came  about  thus.  Once 
more  he  faced  the  heavy-looking  magistrate  and  the 
plump  and  smiling  advocate,  and  once  more  he  looked 
round  to  see  if  perchance  there  had  been  any  response 
to  his  letters.  No  one  else  was  in  the  room  but  police- 
men, and  the  farce  opened  anew. 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  75 

But  ere  it  had  proceeded  beyond  the  initial  cere- 
monies a  messenger  entered  from  without  and  offered 
the  magistrate  a  letter,  which  he  opened  and  read  and 
then  handed  to  M.  Preval.  While  the  latter  was  read- 
ing it,  the  magistrate  favored  Temple  with  a  prolonged 
stare.  M.  Preval  folded  the  note  and  bent  over  to  the 
magistrate,  whispering,  but  there  was  less  color  in  his 
almost  feminine-complexioned  face.  An  order  passed 
from  the  magistrate  to  the  messenger,  who  retired.  M. 
Preval  rose,  looking  benign  and  pleasant  of  eye  through 
his  glasses. 

"  If  I  might  suggest,  sir,  it  would  be  convenient  here 
to  take  any  witnesses  the  prisoner  might  call.  I  under- 
stand he  calls  the  British  Consul  at  Eisenburg,  Mr. 
Wakeling." 

There  was  a  commotion  of  feet  at  the  door,  and  the 
prisoner,  turning  with  some  curiosity  and  wonder  in 
his  mind,  beheld  it  open  and  two  men  enter,  the  elder 
of  whom  had  a  practical  British  look.  So  he  had  been 
in  error  about  the  letters,  and  probably  about  the  whole 
thing ! 

Over  the  magistrate's  dingy  face  crept  what  must 
have  been  designed  for  a  smile  of  greeting. 

"Mr.  Wakeling?"  he  inquired  of  the  first  newcomer. 

The  Consul  bowed. 

"You  have  been  called  in  evidence  by  the  prisoner, 
whom  the  prosecution  allege  to  be  one  Ketschinski, 
to  prove  his  identity.  Are  you,  Mr.  Wakeling,  pre- 
pared to  swear  to  the  prisoner's  identity  ? " 

"I  cannot  say  that,"  replied  the  Consul.  "I  under- 
stand he  claims  to  be  Sir  Philip  Temple  of  Templemore, 
a  well-known  family  in  England.  The  matter  is  there- 
fore easily  capable  of  determination  one  way  or  another." 


76  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"His  Excellency  Count  Cavari  can  testify  to  the 
truth  of  the  statements  I  have  made  as  to  my  move- 
ments, Mr.  Wakeling,"  said  the  prisoner.  "  Of  course, 
no  one  here  can  demonstrate  me  to  be  Sir  Philip 
Temple." 

"  I  have  already  cabled  to  London  as  well  as  to  Tem- 
plemore  about  it,"  said  the  Consul  in  his  matter-of-fact 
way. 

"I  may  say  I  am  well  known  to  Prince  von  Stregen, 
in  Berlin,"  added  the  young  man. 

"I  will  communicate  with  the  Prince,  Sir  Philip," 
said  the  Consul,  in  that  manner  of  address  manifesting 
his  own  convictions.  "  I  think,  in  the  circumstances, 
your  honor  will  allow  bail,"  he  added. 

M.  Preval  was  on  his  legs.  "The  prosecution  will 
not  oppose  bail  in  the  circumstances,"  he  declared 
suavely. 

And  thus  it  fell  that  within  ten  minutes  Philip  Temple 
was  a  free  man,  with  a  ridiculous  charge  hanging  over 
his  head,  at  which  the  British  Consul  and  he  had  a 
hearty  laugh  as  they  lunched  at  the  Hotel  du  Cerf. 
They  had  the  room  to  themselves;  and,  after  the  con- 
straint of  the  last  two  days,  Temple  enjoyed  the  beauti- 
ful light,  the  view  of  the  hills,  and  the  sense  of  liberty. 

"The  fact  is,"  Mr.  Wakeling  explained,  "that 
conspirators  have  got  on  the  nerves  of  the  Eisen- 
burgers.  It  has  been  a  critical  time  for  them,  and 
they  are  afraid  of  Albrecht." 

"But  they  are  safe  now,"  said  Temple.  "Short 
of  an  assassination  of  an  infant,  which  is  incredible 
—  at  least,  in  this  northerly  part  of  Europe  —  the  bot- 
tom is  gone  out  of  the  Albrecht  party  surely." 

"Not  so  definitely  as  you  think,"  said  the  Consul, 


THE  STAR  CHAMBER  77 

leaning  back  to  enjoy  his  cigar.  "There  is  a  strong 
party  for  Albrecht  in  Eisenburg  on  the  German  marches. 
You  see,  Louis  XXI  did  a  foolish  thing  when  he  auto- 
matically and  arbitrarily  deprived  the  Suabian  family 
of  their  property  here.  They  held  the  Castle  of  Sturm 
and  the  estates,  which  they  inherited  through  Lucia 
Wolfgang,  who  married  a  Suabian  in  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  right  down  until  the  'fifties; 
and  then  Louis  sequestered  them.  It  was  an  affair  of 
State,  of  course.  Prince  Karl  of  Suabia  was  mixed 
up  in  some  political  intrigue,  or  was  supposed  to  be  — 
I  don't  know  that  it  was  ever  proved.  Anyhow,  his 
estates  were  forfeited;  and  the  act  rankled,  has  always 
rankled,  indeed,  and  is  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  the 
bad  blood  between  the  two  houses.  It  would  not 
have  mattered  had  not  Albrecht  been  the  next  heir. 
But  there  is  the  infant  Grand  Duke  now.  Yet  Albrecht 
has  his  sympathizers;  and  there  are  plenty  of  people 
who  look  askance  upon  a  long  minority.  It  means 
no  State  functions,  no  Court,  no  stimulus  to  trade. 
Albrecht  is  six-and-twenty,  and,  I'm  told,  is  a  spirited 
and  lively  soul.  He  could,  as  the  phrase  goes,  make 
things  hum." 

Thus  Mr.  Wakeling,  practical  and  prosaic  English- 
man, over  a  comfortable  lunch. 

His  companion  pondered.  "Then  it  seems  that 
I  am  the  first  victim  sacrificed  on  the  altar,"  he  ob- 
served after  a  pause.  "I  should  feel  a  sense  almost 
of  honor  at  the  priority,  instead  of  the  indignation 
I  have  with  difficulty  quenched.  Do  you  know,  I  more 
than  half  suspected  these  rustic  authorities  of  tamper- 
ing with  my  correspondence  —  I  had  doubts,  for 
instance,  of  my  letter  reaching  you." 


78  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

The  Consul  took  his  cigar  out  of  his  mouth.  "  You  're 
mistaken,"  he  said  slowly,  "  when  you  speak  of  them  as 
rustic  authorities.  Both  M.  Preval  and  M.  Dorn- 
murst  are  well-known  figures  in  Eisenburg."  He  puffed 
again.  "And  I  don't  quite  understand  your  reference 
to  your  letter.  What  letter  was  that?" 

"  Why,"  said  Temple  in  surprise,  "  the  letter  I  wrote 
to  you,  which  brought  you  here!" 

"I  wasn't  brought  here  by  any  letter  of  yours," 
replied  the  Consul,  after  a  pause.  "I  never  received 
any  letter  from  you." 

"Indeed  !"  Sir  Philip's  eyes  centered  on  the  other's. 
"Then  how  was  it  you  arrived  in  the  nick  of  time  to 
my  rescue?" 

"I  received  a  communication  as  to  your  predica- 
ment from  a  man  named  —  The  Consul  hunted 
in  his  memory,  found  nothing  there  temporarily,  and 
so  hunted  in  his  pockets.  He  drew  out  a  paper.  "  Ah, 
yes  !  Kartolen,"  he  ended. 

Temple  swung  round  slowly  in  his  chair,  till  he 
reached  the  bell,  which  he  rang. 

"Kartolen!"  he  repeated.  "I  see.  That  has  its 
own  appearance  of  strangeness."  Smilingly  entered 
M.  Maillac,  rubbing  his  hands.  "Oh,  M.  Maillac, 
what  has  become  of  Herr  Kartolen?" 

"  He  left  last  night,  Monsieur  —  returned  to  Berlin, 
I  think." 

Temple  thanked  and  dismissed  him.  "On  the 
whole,"  he  remarked  to  the  Consul,  as  he  sipped  his 
coffee,  "I  do  not  understand,  and  I  think  Eisenburg 
is  an  interesting  country." 

"Oh,  it  is  interesting  enough,"  said  the  Consul 
pleasantly. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    SHOT    IN    THE    FOREST 

ISENBURG  was  sometimes  amusingly,  but  more 
•1— ^  often  distractingly,  bilingual.  It  hesitated  be- 
tween French  and  German,  with  a  distinct  bias  — 
at  least,  in  the  trading  centers  —  towards  the  lan- 
guage which  dominated  the  commerce  of  the  country. 
Owing  to  the  geographical  situation  of  the  grand- 
duchy  on  the  flank  of  Germany,  that  language  was, 
of  course,  German.  German  enterprise  had  long  since 
penetrated  and  exploited  Eisenburg.  German  com- 
mercial travelers,  like  Herr  Kartolen,  had  mapped 
out  the  grand-duchy  in  sections,  and  took  their  annual 
levies.  The  State  was,  to  some  frightened  minds,  in 
the  way  of  becoming  a  mere  German  appanage.  That 
was  why  the  Court  party  made  a  determined  "set" 
in  favor  of  French.  Though  German  was  spoken 
among  the  traders  of  the  capital,  at  the  Schloss  with 
its  German  name  they  talked  in  pure  French.  Thus 
it  fell  out  that  the  passenger  in  Eisenburg  streets  must 
needs  ply  the  tongues  in  turn,  according  to  his  itiner- 
ary and  the  accidents  of  his  meetings.  He  would  con- 
verse in  German  if  he  bought  groceries,  but  over  the 
way  was  a  shop  in  which  his  wife,  purchasing  lingerie, 
must  express  her  preferences  in  French. 

Sir  Philip  Temple  perused  two  newspapers  on  the 
morning  following  his  release  on   bail  —  the  one  in 


80  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

German  and  the  other  in  French.  The  German,  after 
its  news,  was  commercial  and  non-political,  while  the 
French  sheet,  circulating  in  politer  society,  reflected 
Court  news,  and  probably  Court  views.  At  least, 
future  Court  movements  were  foreshadowed,  as  of 
national  importance.  The  public  proclamation  of 
the  new  Grand  Duke  was  fixed  for  such-and-such  a 
date,  which  was  some  five  days  ahead.  The  Princess 
Regent  would  leave  Waldthal  for  the  capital  on  such 
a  day.  His  Excellency  Count  Cavari  was  in  residence 
at  his  official  house  in  Eisenburg.  .  .  .  Thus,  or  after 
some  such  fashion,  ran  the  fashionable  information 
of  the  Gazette,  which  Temple  idly  scanned  at  break- 
fast. Mr.  Wakeling  had  departed  for  Eisenburg  and 
his  duties,  leaving  with  Sir  Philip  an  assurance  that  he 
need  fear  no  further  misunderstandings,  and  a  cordial 
invitation  to  visit  him  in  the  capital.  Mr.  Wakeling, 
you  see,  was  a  practical  man,  had  lived  fifty  years,  and 
knew  something  of  his  own  country  and  her  worthies. 
There  was  some  historic  glamor  attaching  to  the  name 
of  Temple  of  Templemore. 

The  Chancellor  was  in  residence !  Philip  regarded 
the  fact  leisurely,  and  turned  with  equal  leisure  from 
it  to  wonder  if  the  Chancellor  had  received  his  letter. 
Till  now  he  had  had  no  answer.  He  was  also  inter- 
ested as  to  the  fate  of  the  other  letters  which  he  had 
dispatched  from  his  cell.  Now  that-  he  had  found 
that  the  consular  machinery  had  not  been  set  in  motion 
by  him,  he  had  a  renewed  suspicion  of  all  the  circum- 
stances. His  letter  to  Mr.  Wakeling  had  miscarried, 
and  it  was  the  German  "drummer"  who  had  saved 
him.  He  could  not  overlook  the  fact,  and  somehow  it 
seemed  to  possess  a  curious  but  undetermined  signifi- 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  81 

cance.  He  wrote  that  morning  to  Berlin,  to  Paris,  and 
to  Captain  du  Vallon  at  the  Castle  of  Waldthal.  He 
did  not  write  to  his  Excellency. 

Yet  it  was  from  his  Excellency  that  he  first  heard  — 
indeed,  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  Count  Cavari 
wrote  through  his  secretary,  as  every  busy  and  distin- 
guished man  must,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  Sir 
Philip  Temple's  letter,  and  stating  that  he  had  taken 
steps  to  communicate  with  the  necessary  authorities. 
Upon  this  formal  document  Temple  had  two  criticisms 
to  make  to  himself  —  the  one  that  the  Chancellor  had 
evidently  accepted  his  uncorroborated  statement  as 
to  his  identity,  and  the  other  that  it  came,  so  to  speak, 
a  day  after  the  fair.  However,  it  was  welcome  in  its 
way  and  day,  more  especially  as  it  was  clear  evidence 
that  he  was  to  be  troubled  no  more  in  the  matter  of 
a  ridiculous  charge.  The  next  day  brought  a  confir- 
mation of  this,  in  an  official  communication  from  the 
authorities,  whose  investigations  had  proved  the  truth 
of  the  suspect's  claim  to  be  an  important  English 
gentleman.  Simultaneously  he  received  a  second 
letter  from  the  Chancellor's  secretary,  expressing 
regret  at  the  absurd  mistake  of  the  police  and  a  hope 
that  Sir  Philip  Temple  had  not  been  greatly  incon- 
venienced thereby. 

It  was  a  civil  thing  for  a  busy  man  of  affairs  to  have 
done,  and  Temple  recognized  this.  At  the  same  time, 
he  was  exercised  still  about  his  unanswered  letters. 
As  he  had  thought,  no  one  had  dared  to  intermeddle 
with  the  Chancellor's  postbag,  but  it  was  abundantly 
clear  that  no  respect  had  been  paid  to  any  one  else's. 
We  have  heard  as  to  the  Consul's;  and  the  next  mail 
brought  Philip  communications  from  Berlin  and 


82  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Paris,  from  which  it  appeared  that  his  original  letters 
to  both  Prince  von  Stregen  and  the  Marquis  de  Pomeau- 
Laval  had  only  just  been  delivered,  owing,  no  doubt, 
to  delay  in  the  post.  Captain  du  Vallon  was  still  silent. 

It  seemed,  then,  that  the  Chancellor  was  the  only 
one  who  had  received  his  letter  —  in  due  course. 
Temple  passed  many  things  in  mental  review,  among 
others  the  operations  of  agents  provocateurs,  of  which 
he  had  read,  and  various  other  reputed  tricks  of  the 
criminal  police  of  different  countries.  After  that,  as 
the  weather  was  clouding,  and  the  valleys  of  the  Oden- 
stock  merged  in  mist,  he  spent  a  dull  afternoon  indoors, 
with  such  books  as  the  scanty  library  of  the  hotel 
offered  and  his  own  reflections.  Among  these  latter 
reappeared  the  affair  which  was  mainly  responsible 
for  bringing  him  back  to  Waldthal.  Now  that  he  was 
discharged  his  mind  reverted  to  the  dead  woman,  and 
he  pondered  a  good  deal  on  the  tragedy  after  he  had 
tired  of  his  literature.  He  wrote  to  his  Excellency's 
secretary,  acknowledging  politely  what  he  might  con- 
sider to  be  official  apologies  for  his  arrest,  and  in  the 
same  letter  stated  his  intention  of  advertising  in  the 
hope  of  throwing  some  light  on  the  identity  of  the  un- 
known victim. 

He  drew  up  the  same  afternoon  a  carefully  framed 
advertisement  which  he  sent  off  to  various  papers  in 
England,  France,  and  Germany,  giving  his  own  initials 
and  address  at  the  Hotel  du  Cerf,  Waldthal.  From  this 
it  seemed  that  he  was  not  at  present  designing  to  leave 
Eisenburg,  despite  the  obloquy  of  his  arrest.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  witness  the 
Proclamation  before  he  went  on  to  what  he  had  origi- 
nally meant  to  be  his  destination  —  Munich. 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  83 

On  the  day  following  this  dispatch  of  letters  Sir 
Philip  Temple,  armed  with  a  fishing-rod  and  basket, 
took  the  road  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  Larche,  dis- 
tant in  the  hills  some  five  miles  from  Waldthal. 

The  same  day  at  the  midday  meal  two  men  were 
facing  each  other  across  the  table  in  the  chateau  of 
Demarne,  in  the  Upper  Odenstock.  The  chateau,  an 
elegant  building  of  the  eighteenth  century,  was  perched 
in  a  very  picturesque  and  romantic  situation.  Behind 
it  the  forests  of  the  Odenstock,  black  and  grim,  sloped 
upwards  to  the  crown  of  the  hills,  whence  they  rolled 
downwards  in  a  tumbled  confusion  of  vale  and  dale 
across  the  plains  of  Montrais  towards  the  border  of 
Graumark,  in  the  German  hegemony.  Northward  and 
eastward  the  whole  of  Eisenburg  lay  stretched  before 
the  eye,  with  the  Castle  of  Waldthal  in  the  middle  dis- 
tance, and  even  the  towers  and  spires  of  the  capital  on 
the  dim  horizon.  From  the  windows  of  Demarne,  the 
seat  of  the  Boar  of  the  Odenstock,  a  magnificent  pros- 
pect is  ever  in  the  eye;  for  no  sooner  have  its  shafts 
left  the  spacious,  rambling  park  and  gardens  than 
they  descend  by  the  white  cataracts  of  the  Larche,  by 
gaps  and  wooded  spurs,  to  the  lower  heights  about 
Waldthal,  and  thence  again  to  the  glittering  plains  in 
which  the  city  of  Eisenburg  rises  by  the  silver  Effel. 
Yet  of  this  wonderful  view  the  two  men  at  the  table 
took  no  heed.  They  were  not  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dows at  all,  but  at  each  other.  The  Boar,  as  he  was 
popularly  styled  after  the  beast  that,  even  in  modern 
times,  still  ravaged  occasionally  in  the  Odenstock,  was 
clean-shaven;  but  his  companion,  short,  and  rather 
bald,  wore  a  peaked  or  Vandyke  beard,  which  he  plucked 
in  an  apparently  abstracted  and  deliberate  manner. 


84  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"I  assure  you,  my  dear  Baron,"  he  said  in  his  pleas- 
ant voice,  "that  I  was  actuated  by  mere  idle  curiosity. 
The  narrative  had  been  interrupted,  and  it  interested 
me.  I  wanted  it  finished." 

"  Well,  it  was  n't,"  said  Favrinck  bluntly. 

"But  it  will  be,"  said  the  other  softly. 

"I  cannot  see  why  you  lay  such  stress  upon  what 
appears  to  me  a  triviality,"  said  the  Baron. 

"It  probably  is  a  triviality,"  said  his  companion, 
nodding.  "In  my  life  I  have  found  trivialities  often 
to  indicate  significant  things.  Floating  straws,  my  dear 
Baron,  show  the  direction  of  the  current.  I  may  be 
watching  a  straw  that  means  nothing,  but  I  watch  it.  I 
don't  like  losing  chances,  and,  after  all,  it  hurts  no  one 
and  amuses  me." 

"  Oh,  if  it  amuses  you,  Von  Hauser "  The  Baron 

shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  did  not  complete  his 
sentence. 

".Consider  that  he  was  interrupted  in  a  very  inter- 
esting story,  and  at  a  critical  point  of  it,"  went  on 
Von  Hauser,  lighting  another  cigar.  "  He  was  privileged 
to  be  in  the  Castle  on  the  night  of  that  interesting  event. 
Think  of  it !  What  would  you  not  have  given  for  that 
privilege,  my  dear  fellow?"  The  Baron  snorted.  "He 
took  there  a  dying  woman  for  attention,  an  act  of  hu- 
manity; and  he  left  at  midnight  and  went  to  the  Hotel 
du  Cerf." 

The  Baron  looked  up.  "  I  saw  him  then  —  a  tall, 
rather  slender,  characteristic  Englishman  ?  Yes,  I  saw 
him  that  night  in  talk  with  Maillac." 

"No  doubt,"  assented  his  companion,  and  resumed 
in  his  easy  way:  "He  told  Maillac,  it  appears,  that  he 
designed  to  stay  in  Waldthal  for  some  little  time  and 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  85 

explore  this"-—  he  nodded  out  of  the  window  —  " mag- 
nificent domain  of  yours.  But  he  returned  to  England 
in  obedience  to  a  telegram,  was  absent  a  few  days,  and 
came  back.  The  day  after  his  return  he  was  arrested 
on  the  charge  of  being  a  certain  Ketschinski.  Now, 
Baron,  do  you  know  any  one  named  Ketschinski  ?"  He 
had  turned  his  gray  eyes  on  his  host,  who  frowned  and 
brooded  as  if  over  some  internal  convulsion  of  thought. 

"  The  agent  of ?  I  saw  him  once,"  he  said  curtly. 

"Did  he  bear  the  slightest  resemblance  to  this  Eng- 
lish stranger?"  asked  Von  Hauser. 

"Not  the  least.    He  was  a  burly  red  man." 

"Then,"  said  the  other,  lifting  his  eyebrows,  "what 
a  stupid  police  are  these  of  your  country,  my  dear  fel- 
low!  To  make  such  a  blunder!" 

"I  don't  see  what  all  this  is  leading  to,"  remarked 
the  Baron  impatiently. 

"If  I  knew,"  said  his  friend  slowly,  "I  should  not 
need  to  follow  it  up.  As,  like  yourself,  I  am  in  igno- 
rance, I  feel  interested  and,  so  to  speak,  piqued.  That 
was  why  I  dropped  a  note  to  the  British  Consul.  Mail- 
lac,  as  you  know,  is  a  regular  soft-hearted,  turnip-headed 
fellow ;  but  even  his  confused  account  of  the  trial  made 
me  wonder.  I  wonder  still."  He  rose.  "Baron,  if  it 
had  n't  been  for  that  note  of  mine,  this  Sir  Philip  Tem- 
ple would  be  in  the  Hochmar  Prison  to-day  registered 
under  a  number  and  the  name  of  Ketschinski." 

Favrinck  rose  after  his  guest.  "  Have  it  as  you  will, " 
he  said.  "  Tell  me  what  Grossbaum  reports." 

"Grossbaum,"  said  Von  Hauser,  "offers  us  every 
encouragement  as  to  the  friendly  disposition  of  the 
northeastern  canton.  But  it  is  mainly  the  capital  that 
will  decide.  It  always  is." 


86  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"I  can  answer  for  the  south,"  responded  the  Baron 
grimly.  "  I  hold  them  in  my  hand,  and  they  will  move 
when  I  want." 

"Yes,  you  are  a  power,  Baron,"  said  the  other  po- 
litely; "you  have  but  to  order.  You  are  as  one  having 
authority.  I  am  only  a  spring  in  the  machinery.  I  can 
help  it  to  go,  if  I  keep  well-oiled,  and  the  other  parts 
are  not  out  of  order.  You  —  you  are  something  still 
of  the  mediaeval  feudal  lord.  See  what  a  stretch  of 
country  obeys  you,  owns  your  sway." 

He  was  at  the  window  now,  and  before  him  spread 
the  Odenstock,  with  its  fir-clad  hills  and  its  fertile  val- 
leys. The  Baron  also  surveyed  it,  but  there  was  no  an- 
swering smile  of  gratification  on  his  heavy  features. 

"  We  are  as  old  and  as  good  a  stock  as  the  Wolfgangs," 
he  observed.  "They  have  twice  put  an  insult  on 
us;  and  the  last  was  deadly.  Time  shall  bring  its 
revenge." 

"On  an  infant's  head,"  interjected  Von  Hauser, 
without  any  expression  in  his  voice. 

"On  a  Wolfgang's,"  corrected  Favrinck. 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  Von  Hauser  resumed: 

"It  is  the  capital  that  will  decide.  There  is  where 
our  work  must  be." 

"If  my  advice  had  been  taken,"  said  the  Baron,  "the 
Prince  would  have  moved  immediately  on  the  death 
of  Louis." 

"And  left  the  sympathies  of  the  Eisenburgers,  to 
say  nothing  of  Europe,  a  rally  ing-point  in  the  widowed 
Grand  Duchess  and  her  interesting  condition !  No, 
my  friend,  it  would  have  been  fatal,  and  I  told  the 
Prince  so.  What  is  more,  I  told  — well,  other  parties, 
we  will  say.  And  other  parties,  as  we  must  call  them, 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  87 

brought  pressure  to  bear  on  the  Prince.  Yes,  it  was  I 
spoiled  your  scheme,  my  dear  fellow." 

"Well,  the  responsibility  is  yours,"  grumbled  the 
Baron.  "I  confess  I  like  action." 

"  Action  follows  diplomacy ;  action  is  assured  by  care- 
ful organization,"  said  Von  Hauser.  "You  shall  have 
what  action  you  want  very  soon,  and  then  it  will  be 
swift  and  certain,  and  there  will  be  no  risks.  Mean- 
while we  must  concentrate  our  attentions  on  the 
capital." 

"We  shall  get  a  test  at  the  Proclamation,"  said 
Favrinck.  "That  will  show  us  where  we  stand." 

"I  hope  so;  and  now,  Baron,  with  your  permission, 
I  will  go.  I  must  dine  this  evening  at  the  Hotel  du 
Cerf,  and  hear  the  conclusion  of  my  interrupted  narra- 
tive. After  that  I  am  due  at  Eisenburg." 

Favrinck  accompanied  his  guest  into  the  big  hall, 
with  its  galleries,  and,  calling  for  his  hat,  himself  stalked 
out  into  the  park.  It  was  a  wild  place,  forest  mingling 
with  gardens  and  growing  meadows,  and  below  the 
walls  that  shut  off  the  encroaching  Odenstock.  The 
Baron  and  his  friend  walked  down  to  a  gate  in  earnest 
conversation,  and  at  the  gate  they  stopped  and  talked 
together  for  a  time.  A  hundred  paces  or  more  on  this 
declension  of  the  hill  a  lusty  brook,  fresh  from  the 
superior  heights  beyond,  brawled  and  fumed  among 
its  environing  rocks  on  its  way  to  contribute  to  the 
Upper  Larche.  This  falling  valley  was  veiled  now  in 
a  tender  light  of  obscuring  clouds  and  threatening 
spring  rain,  and  through  the  curtain  of  trees  a  man 
was  picking  his  way  down-stream.  He  had  a  rod  over 
his  shoulder  and  a  basket  swung  by  his  side.  In  the 
middle  of  a  sentence  Von  Hauser's  quick  eyes  shot 


88  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

away  to  him,  though  he  went  on  talking.  The  Baron's 
broad  back,  formidable  as  a  wall,  was  turned  to  the 
forest  and  the  glen,  but  Von  Hauser's  gaze  nickered 
between  his  companion  and  the  fisherman.  Suddenly 
he  left  off  abruptly,  and,  seizing  the  Baron's  arm,  pulled 
that  great  bulk  about  as  if  on  a  swivel. 

"Look!     Look!"  he  said. 

Favrinck's  eyes  obeyed  the  imperative  command, 
and  turned,  not  inwards  and  downwards  towards  the 
glen  and  the  water,  but  upwards  to  a  rise,  thickly  bushed 
and  precipitate  in  its  descent. 

"  Why  —  what Favrinck  got  no  further ;  he 

stopped,  gaping;  a  head  emerged  from  the  shrubbery, 
and  a  glint  of  sunlight  glanced  from  an  iron  barrel. 
A  loud  report  followed. 

"Himmel!"  It  was  the  Baron's  voice,  but  it  was 
Von  Hauser  who  started  to  run.  He  ran  with  astonish- 
ing speed  for  one  no  longer  young,  and  considering  the 
rough  nature  of  the  ground.  He  reached  the  place 
where  the  fisherman  had  fallen  some  moments  before 
the  lumbering  Baron,  who  found  him  bending  over 
the  prostrate  man  when  he  arrived. 

"  Nothing  much,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice ;  "  the  bullet 
has  ploughed  round  his  temple  and  stunned  him.  There 
is  no  other  hurt*  that  I  can  see.  He  will  come  to  pres- 
ently." He  drew  himself  up  and  looked  down  on  the 
fisherman.  Favrinck  bent  in  his  turn  and  grunted. 
He  looked  at  Von  Hauser. 

"I  should  like  to  know  who  dared  do  this  in  the 
Odenstock,"  he  said,  with  the  rising  choler  of  a  slow 
and  bitter  man.  "I'll  have  them  know  I'm  master  of 
the  Odenstock." 

"Do  you   not  recognize — an   old   friend?"   asked 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  89 

Von  Hauser  in  a  curious  voice,  under  which  one  might 
have  suspected  a  deep  agitation. 

Favrinck  looked  at  the  face,  glowing  as  he  looked. 
"By  Heaven!  the  Englishman,  isn't  it?"  he  asked. 

"  The  Englishman  —  he  is  having  bad  luck,"  said 
Von  Hauser  significantly. 

The  Baron  eyed  him.     "  You  mean 

"  It  is  strange  what  a  dead  set  fortune,  let  us  say, 
has  made  at  this  Englishman." 

"What?"  The  Baron's  slow  brain  absorbed  the 
words  and  their  inner  meaning.  "The  Wolfgangs  !"  he 
thundered.  "By  God,  I'll  have  them  know  I  am 
master  of  the  Odenstock !  The  Wolfgangs!" 

"  My  dear  friend,  there  is  no  Wolfgang,  but  a  suck- 
ing infant,"  said  Von  Hauser.  He  drew  back.  "  Baron, 
as  this  young  gentleman  is  coming  to,  I  will,  with  your 
leave,  go.  I  am  anxious  to  see  him,  but  not  in  these 
circumstances.  I  unhesitatingly  entrust  him  to  your 
hospitality."  He  laid  a  hand  on  the  other's  arm.  "  Look 
you,  my  friend,  I  believe  this  man  is  valuable.  I  think 
he  is  one  of  those  trifles  that  matter." 

He  nodded  as  he  turned  away,  and  went  lightly 
down  the  glen  for  about  a  mile,  which  brought  him 
to  a  clearing  with  a  small  farmhouse.  Here  he  had 
left  the  carriage  he  had  hired  in  the  morning  for  the 
purpose  of  exploring  in  the  Odenstock  like  any  com- 
mon tourist ;  and  from  this  point  he  was  driven  com- 
fortably to  the  Hotel  du  Cerf ,  which  he  reached  before 
evening  fell. 

When  Philip  Temple  opened  his  eyes  he  found  the 
grim  and  stolid  face  of  the  Baron  Favrinck  looking  on 
him.  In  bewilderment  he  blinked,  and  then  sat  up, 
finally  getting  shakily  to  his  feet. 


90  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"You  have  had  an  accident,"  said  the  Baron. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  —  Temple  looked  at  the  fishing- 

rod  on  the  ground  in  a  puzzled  way,  and  then,  obeying 
a  physical  direction,  put  a  hand  to  his  head.  He  was 
still  dazed,  but  he  felt  that  there  was  something  the 
matter  with  his  head. 

"It  was  a  narrow  squeak,"  said  the  Baron,  scruti- 
nizing the  head  with  interest.  "The  bullet  must  have 
struck  on  the  bone  behind  and  ploughed  round.  I've 
known  bullets  do  queer  things  like  that." 

"A  bullet!"     Temple  gazed  at  him  in  perplexity. 

"  Yes,  you  have  been  shot  at,"  said  the  other.  "  Can 
you  walk  ?  Come,  let  me  give  you  an  arm.  My  house 
is  not  far." 

Temple  laughed  confusedly.  "Shot  at!"  he  said, 
and  then,  "Thank  you.  I  seem  to  recognize  your  face." 

"I  yours,"  said  the  Baron.  "You  are  the  young 
Englishman  who  was  in  the  Hotel  du  Cerf  the  night 
when  the  Grand  Duke  was  born." 

"Yes,  I  remember  you  now,"  said  Temple.  "You 

are But  the  name  did  not  come,  and  the  Baron 

gave  him  no  assistance.  They  were  walking  up  through 
the  park,  the  older  man  guiding  the  somewhat  un- 
steady steps  of  the  younger.  "Shot  at!"  repeated  the 
latter.  "Who  shot  at  me?" 

"I  wish  I'd  seen.    I  did  n't,"  said  his  companion. 

"  Some  clumsy  sportsman  —  these  fools  ought  not 
to  be  allowed  guns,"  said  Temple. 

"There's  no  sportsman  dare  set  foot  within  this 
part  of  the  Odenstock  without  my  leave,"  said  Favrinck 
formidably.  "You  were  trespassing  yourself." 

"So  was  the  other  apparently.  As  for  me,  I  was  in 
ignorance,  and  I  apologize." 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  91 

Philip  Temple  smiled,  but  the  face  of  the  other  did 
not  answer  him  with  a  ripple. 

"  There  was  no  man  out  shooting  to-day  in  the  Oden- 
stock,  I  tell  you,"  he  said  harshly  —  "  at  least,  no  man 
shooting  game." 

"Then,  sir,"  said  Philip  civilly,  "you  mean  to  im- 

ply- 

They  had  reached  the  house,  and  the  Baron  ushered 
his  guest  in  and  rang  the  bell  for  his  servants  and  brandy 
ere  he  replied.  Temple  sank  with  a  sigh  into  a  sofa 
in  the  long  hall. 

"  The  man  who  shot  you  shot  at  you,"  said  the  Baron, 
motioning  him  to  drink. 

He  was  imperative  in  his  ways,  but  the  Englishman 
did  not  resent  this,  and  would  not  have  resented  it  in 
other  circumstances.  He  did  not  notice  it  now;  it  would 
have  amused  him  in  other  conditions.  He  was  taking 
in  more  fully  the  meaning  of  his  host's  words,  and  he 
drank  mechanically.  A  drop  of  blood  slipped  down 
his  cheek,  and  he  put  up  a  handkerchief  and  stayed  it. 

"Is  this  Odenstock  a  favorite  tiddler's-ground  for 
bandits?  "  he  asked. 

"  Not  this  side  of  the  Middle  Ages,"  said  the  Baron. 
"My  ancestors  decorated  the  forest  with  the  gentry 
and  stamped  out  that  sort  of  sport  effectually." 

"Ah!"  said  Philip,  remembering  in  a  gush.  "You 
are  Baron  Favrinck?" 

His  host  nodded  unceremoniously.  "And  you  are 
English?"  he  said,  and  waited.  He  was  not  used  to  be 
so  wary,  but  he  felt  Von  Hauser  would  have  approved. 

"My  name  is  Sir  Philip  Temple.  I  came  here  by 
accident,  and  am  still  here  by  choice,"  said  the  younger 
man. 


92  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"Well,  Sir  Philip,  if  your  life  is  not  insured,  I  should 
advise  you  to  insure  it  at  once  after  this." 

"I  gather  that  you  think  this  was  no  accident," 
said  Temple  slowly,  "  but  a  deliberate  attempt  to  mur- 
der me." 

The  Baron  nodded.  "I  was  at  the  gate.  I  saw  it, 
the  man's  head  and  his  rifle." 

"But  why  should  any  one  want  to  kill  me?"  de- 
manded the  Englishman  simply. 

Favrinck  shrugged  his  big  shoulders.  "If  you  can't 
say,  no  one  can,"  he  replied. 

Temple  was  silent,  thinking.  He  mechanically 
sipped  his  brandy,  and  under  the  stimulus  of  the  spirit 
his  brain  worked  more  briskly.  He  was  looking  back- 
ward, and  as  he  looked  his  face  grew  set,  his  mouth 
hardened. 

Meanwhile  the  Baron  had  exhausted  his  diplomacy, 
and  felt  it  time  to  hand  on  the  case  to  Von  Hauser. 

"You  are  staying  in  Waldthal?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  at  the  Hotel  du  Cerf ,"  replied  Temple,  coming 
out  of  his  thoughts. 

"I  will  have  you  driven  back,"  said  Favrinck.  It 
was  almost  an  order,  but  Temple  thanked  him.  Fa- 
vrinck rang  a  bell,  and  gave  instructions  to  a  servant. 
Suddenly  Temple  became  conscious  of  his  fish-basket, 
and  pulled  it  round  to  the  front. 

"As  it  seems  I  was  a  poacher,"  he  said,  with  a  smile, 
"I  can  do  no  less  than  offer  you  two  brace  of  as  fine 
trout  as  I  have  caught  for  many  years."  He  opened 
his  basket,  displaying  his  booty. 

"I  think,  in  the  circumstances,  it  would  be  unfair 
for  me  to  take  them,"  said  Favrinck,  with  a  grim  smile. 
"You  see,  you  paid  a  high  price  for  them." 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  93 

A  little  later,  when  taking  leave  of  his  guest,  he  was 
moved  to  further  graciousness,  and  added :  "  In  future, 
if  you  care  to  fish  and  to  take  the  risks  that  appear  to 
attach  to  you  in  fishing,  you  are  welcome  to  the  Oden- 
stock,  Sir  Philip." 

The  conversation  he  had  that  evening  in  the  Hotel 
du  Cerf  was  with  quite  another  person,  yet  there  was  a 
certain  resemblance  in  the  key,  as  he  noticed.  His  old 
acquaintance  Herr  Kartolen  had  returned  to  the  inn, 
and  Sir  Philip  greeted  him  warmly,  thanking  him  for 
his  friendly  act  in  writing  to  the  British  Consul. 

"Ah,  Monsieur,"  said  Herr  Kartolen,  "I  know 
these  stupid  police  in  the  country;  they  are  always 
blundering.  I  thought  there  would  be  no  harm." 

"  No  harm !  My  dear  sir,"  said  Temple  heartily, 
"  I  verily  believe  I  should  be  languishing  in  prison  now 
were  it  not  for  that  act  of  yours." 

"Indeed,  Monsieur !"  Herr  Kartolen  opened  his  eyes. 
"  But  you  would  have  got  your  witnesses  to  your  identity." 

"I  called  several,"  said  Sir  Philip,  "by  letter  and 
otherwise.  All  but  one  were  silent;  and  that  one, 
our  host,  was  unable,  of  course,  to  prove  anything 
more  than  that  I  had  called  myself  Temple." 

Herr  Kartolen  opened  his  mouth,  evidently  in  amaze- 
ment ;  but  Temple  proceeded  in  his  pleasantest  manner : 

"Come,  you  must  be  my  guest  to-night,  Herr  Kar- 
tolen. I  will  take  no  denial,  and  you  shall  distract  my 
mind  from  stupid  officials  and  prisons  and  troubles  of 
all  kinds.  If  it  is  n't  my  birthday  it  ought  to  be."  He 
paused,  with  the  wine  list  in  his  hand.  "  In  a  sense," 
he  said  slowly,  "  I  think  it  is  my  birthday  —  a  sort  of 
second  birthday.  We'll  count  it  at  that;  and  Maillac 
has  still  some  bottles  of  a  famous  wine." 


94  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Herr  Kartolen  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded; 
but  after  a  certain  interval  at  the  beginning  of  the  meal 
it  was  not  he  who  was  distracting  Temple's  thoughts, 
for  it  was  Temple  himself  who  was  talking.  The  com- 
mercial traveler  reminded  his  host  of  the  circumstances 
in  which  they  had  parted,  and  begged  for  the  rest  of 
the  interrupted  narrative  of  what  happened  in  the 
Castle  of  Waldthal  on  the  night  of  the  Grand  Duchess's 
death.  This  interested  him  greatly,  and  from  it  he  took 
Sir  Philip,  on  light  foot,  over  the  subsequent  events 
in  his  stay  in  Waldthal.  This  he  did  with  a  flow  of 
questions  and  a  very  friendly  and  natural  exhibition 
of  curiosity  that  could  rouse  no  antagonism.  There 
was  no  reason  why  Sir  Philip  should  not  let  him  know; 
he  did  not  mind  being  "pumped"  by  this  amiable 
German.  The  hardest  man  to  deal  with  is  the  man 
who  is  free  enough  with  his  confidence  when  it  does 
not  matter,  for  he  is  not  suspected  of  keeping  his  own 
counsel  when  it  does  matter.  So  Temple,  attributing 
his  companion's  curiosity  to  a  national  trait,  indulged  it, 
until  they  both  came  to  a  stop  this  side  of  the  trans- 
actions of  the  afternoon. 

"You  have  been  fishing?"  said  the  older  man  at 
last,  examining  him  with  polite,  mild  eyes.  "I  hope 
you  had  good  luck." 

"Fair,"  said  Philip,  throwing  back  his  mind,  with 
a  smile. 

Had  Herr  Kartolen  had  any  inkling  of  the  adven- 
ture of  the  afternoon  and  put  his  interrogations,  he 
would  no  doubt  have  been  answered ;  but  Temple  never 
proffered  information.  And  Herr  Kartolen  was  silent, 
until  after  a  pause  he  said  slowly: 

"It  seems  to  me,  Monsieur,  that  the  authorities  in 


THE  SHOT  IN  THE  FOREST  95 

Eisenburg  made  a  bad  mistake,  and  owe  you  some 
reparation.  You  should  apply  for  compensation." 

"I  suppose  I  might,"  said  the  Englishman  care- 
lessly. 

"The  British  Consul  should  see  to  it  that  you  secure 
it,"  went  on  the  commercial  traveler. 

It  was,  of  course,  consistent  with  a  commercial  travel- 
er's calling  that  the  question  of  compensation  should 
thus  occur  to  him;  but  somehow  Philip  had  all  uncon- 
sciously set  his  companion  on  a  superior  level. 

"I  don't  think  I  am  anxious  to  make  money  out  of 
the  incident,"  he  said  languidly;  yet  his  smile  relieved 
the  answer  of  any  possible  charge  of  being  a  snub. 

"One  might  make  people  pay  for  their  stupid  blun- 
ders in  other  ways,"  said  Herr  Kartolen,  with  a  shrug. 
"The  case  must  have  been  very  badly  spoilt  by  M. 
Preval.  It  is  the  policeman's  game  all  the  world  over. 
Get  a  conviction  if  you  can  —  anyhow." 

Temple's  brow  darkened.  He  held  in  his  equable 
mind  a  strong  feeling  in  regard  to  M.  Preval.  He 
distrusted  him,  and  he  distasted  him;  all  that  could 
lie  between  a  frank  man  and  a  crafty  man,  he  felt, 
divided  them. 

"I  should  like  to  pay  out  M.  Preval,"  he  said 
thoughtfully. 

"It  should  be  easy,"  Herr  Kartolen  was  of  opinion. 
"To  pursue  the  case,  to  put  before  the  government 
his  egregious  blunder,  would  be  to  harass  him,  to  ex- 
pose him  to  censure.  He  deserves  it ! " 

"Yes,  I  think  he  undoubtedly  has  deserved  it," 
agreed  Temple. 


CHAPTER  VII 

PROCLAMATION   DAY 

YOU  know  how,  to  the  Continental,  if  he  speaks 
French,  every  man  is  "Monsieur."  "Monsieur" 
is  a  fine  and  handsome  leveler;  it  reduces  the  prince 
to  a  plane  on  which  he  can  meet  the  peasant  without 
loss  of  dignity.  No  doubt  Maillac,  good  soul,  was  ac- 
quainted with  his  English  guest's  title,  and  probably 
Herr  Kartolen  had  learned  it  from  him;  but  to  both 
Temple  was  merely  "Monsieur"  or  "M.  Temple." 
"Monsieur"  will  cover  and  comprise  everything  within 
its  generous  and  hospitable  folds.  Well,  M.  Temple 
received  a  friendly  but  by  no  means  an  officious  invi- 
tation to  "look  up,"  as  we  should  say,  Herr  Kartolen 
at  his  office  in  Eisenburg,  if  so  be  M.  Temple  was  ever 
in  the  capital. 

"I  travel  a  good  deal,"  explained  Herr  Kartolen. 
"  You  will  understand  that.  But  I  return  to  my  head- 
quarters often,  and  I  am  always  in  touch  with  them." 

It  was  on  the  eve  of  Proclamation  Day  that  Temple 
arrived  in  Eisenburg,  and  he  at  once  noted  innumer- 
able signs  of  the  approaching  event.  It  was  a  traditional 
ceremony  with  the  Wolfgangs  that  the  proclamation 
of  the  new  Grand  Duke,  on  his  succession,  should  be 
made  from  the  Council  Hall  in  the  Platz,  and  this  affair 
was  always  carried  out  with  much  form  and  amid 
public  rejoicings.  From  the  country  districts,  south 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  97 

and  north,  all  the  day  a  procession  of  visitors  streamed 
into  the  little  capital,  anxious  for  good  seats  from  which 
to  view  the  proclamation  on  the  morrow.  Temple 
noted  the  gathering  throngs  everywhere  —  in  the 
hotels,  in  the  courtyards,  overflowing  into  the  streets, 
filling  cafe  and  hall  and  restaurant.  The  stable-yards 
were  crowded  with  vehicles,  from  market-cart  to 
brougham ;  and  the  sightseers,  in  anticipation  of  greater 
doings,  had  already  begun  by  perambulating  the  streets 
and  watching  the  last  touches  of  the  decorators. 

The  Qity  of  Eisenburg  is  of  comparative  insignifi- 
cance in  size,  though  it  possesses  all  the  insignia  and 
paraphernalia  of  capitals.  It  is  seated  on  two  hills, 
between  which  the  Larche  rushes  from  its  mountain 
home  into  the  broader,  smoother,  and  more  sober 
waters  of  the  Effel.  This  latter  river,  which  shuts  off 
Eisenburg  from  the  low-lying  eastern  cantons,  flows 
in  a  dignified  way  by  pretty  courses  to  a  junction  with 
the  greater  river,  which  forms  the  boundary  of  the 
grand-duchy  on  its  German  frontier.  In  Eisenburg 
all  the  features  of  European  centers  are  reproduced 
in  miniature.  There  is  the  Palace,  which  stands  on  an 
eminence  overlooking  the  river  to  which  its  gardens 
slope;  there  is  the  Council  House  to  which  deputies 
are  returned  from  the  various  cantons,  and  legislate 
under  the  segis  of  Grand  Duke  and  Chancellor;  and 
there  is  a  handsome  building  in  the  Platz,  which  is  the 
seat  of  the  law  and  the  judiciary. 

At  Eisenburg  there  is  an  unmistakable  metropolitan 
air,  notwithstanding  the  small  dimensions  of  the  an- 
cient town;  and  on  an  occasion  such  as  this,  which 
summed  up  and  demonstrated,  as  it  were,  the  rights 
of  the  capital  to  its  sovereign  position,  it  was  impossible 


98  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

even  for  a  stranger  accustomed  to  larger  things  not  to 
admit  them.  Temple  strolled  the  streets,  and,  like 
other  sightseers,  gazed  at  the  decorations  and  viewed 
the  arrangements  for  illumination  with  interest.  As 
he  went  about  he  became  aware  that  his  friend  the 
Consul  had  spoken  justly  about  the  division  among 
the  populace.  It  was  evident  that  the  coming  cele- 
bration meant  more  to  some  than  to  others.  Gangs 
of  country  cousins  stared  open-mouthed  and  beamed 
their  satisfaction  on  the  surroundings.  But  among 
the  working-classes  of  the  capital  another  spirit  was 
observable.  There  was  a  brisk  trade  in  the  sale  of  lilac, 
which  was  the  emblem  of  the  Wolfgangs;  and  many 
merry  people  paraded  the  streets  with  lilac  badges, 
lilac  buttonholes,  lilac  in  the  hat,  or  lilac  in  the  hair. 
At  the  corner  of  the  Platz,  where  a  narrow  mediaeval, 
and  evil-smelling  street  turned  into  it,  Temple  came 
upon  a  bevy  of  girls,  laughing,  wide-mouthed,  blue- 
eyed.  They  wore  the  lilac  badge,  and  one  of  them  was 
crowned  with  a  ring  of  lilac  blossom.  The  street  was 
like  a  defile  between  mountains,  running  tortuously 
into  darkness  'twixt  high  and  ill-conditioned  houses, 
and  suddenly  a  body  of  rough  men  emerged  from  its 
jaws.  The  girls  were  abreast  at  the  moment,  and  a 
heavy,  squat  fellow,  with  a  protruding  jowl,  broke  the 
linked  line  with  an  oath.  He  snatched  the  lilac,  ground 
and  stamped  it  into  the  dirt  under  his  feet,  amid  cries 
of  alarm  and  pain. 

"That  for  your  sucking-pig!"  he  shouted  hoarsely. 

The  girls  fled  in  terror,  but  the  group  behind  the 
aggressor  gathered  together,  and  spoke  low.  There 
seemed  to  Temple  something  more  ominous  in  this 
quietude  than  if  they  had  openly  broken  out  into  a 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  99 

riot.  He  passed  on.  Upon  the  Rue  des  Vins,  as  the 
alternative  placard  in  that  bilingual  country  styled  it, 
he  saw  the  decorations  snatched  from  the  lamp-posts 
as  by  the  hands  of  hooligans.  In  the  Place  Grevan  he 
witnessed  a  conflict  between  police  and  mob  which 
was  instructive,  but  not  pleasant.  He  retired  to  his 
hotel  with  a  better  understanding  of  the  state  of  politics 
and  parties  in  Eisenburg.  A  little  later  he  was  surprised 
and  delighted  to  receive  a  visit  from  Captain  Constan- 
tine  du  Vallon. 

Du  Vallon  was  as  full  of  fine  airs  and  graces  as  ever. 
He  seemed,  indeed,  to  have  ripened  his  friendship  with 
the  mere  passage  of  time.  He  shook  Temple  warmly 
by  the  hand,  complimented  him  on  the  effect  of  Eisen- 
burg air  on  his  health  and  appearance,  and  then  broke 
into  the  explanation  for  which  he  had  come. 

"You  wrote,  Monsieur,  at  an  unfortunate  time. 
I  was  away  on  some  important  affair;  but,  of  course, 
I  would  have  stretched  every  point  in  the  circum- 
stances, short  of  absolute  dereliction  of  duty,  to  be  of 
service  to  you.  But,  unhappily,  I  never  received  the 
letter  until  too  late." 

"You  did  not  receive  it?"  asked  Temple. 

"See,  my  friend."  The  Captain  pulled  from  his 
pocket  an  envelope  on  which  were  scribbled  at  least  a 
dozen  addresses.  "It  followed  me  to  Paris  to  the  con- 
sulate, but  I  was  at  Marseilles;  then,  look  you,  it  went 
to  Bordeaux ;  there  was  a  mistake.  It  has  passed  through 
a  score  of  adventures,  but  it  arrived.  The  post-office 
is  wonderful !" 

"But  it  arrived  too  late,"  suggested  Temple. 

"My  dear  Sir  Philip,  I  regret  it,  but  I  am  glad  my 
evidence  was  not  needed.  It  was  a  stupid  affair  — 


100  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

those  dull  police!  I  gather  they  got  hauled  over  the 
coals.  They  tell  me  the  sergeant  was  dismissed." 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Philip,  "that  it  was  the  ser- 
geant who  ought  to  have  been  dismissed." 

Du  Vallon  looked  at  him  with  his  friendly  attitude 
of  inquiring  attention  that  was  so  like  a  terrier  with 
cocked  ears,  but  Temple  did  not  pursue  the  matter. 
He  changed  the  subject,  touching  on  the  ceremony  of 
the  morrow,  and  the  Captain  swung  off  readily  upon 
the  new  course.  He  was  to  be  at  the  head  of  his  com- 
pany of  guards  in  the  Platz  before  the  Council  Hall, 
and  it  was  evidently  a  point  on  which  he  required  con- 
gratulation. He  received  Sir  Philip's  compliments 
and  flushed. 

"I  thank  you,  Sir  Philip,"  said  he,  with  a  certain 
boyish  simplicity.  "I  am  proud  to  do  my  little  in  the 
service  of  my  sovereign.  I  want  no  other  reward 
than  the  satisfaction  I  shall  get  out  of  doing  my 
duty." 

"There  is,"  ventured  the  Englishman,  "a  division 
of  opinion  in  Eisenburg  in  regard  to  political  matters." 

Du  Vallon  uttered  an  oath.  "There  is  a  party  of 
knaves,  of  traitors  —  a  secret  party.  They  would 
hand  the  grand-duchy  over  to  the  German  for  the 
benefit  of  their  filthy  trade.  "They  want  inclusion  in 
the  Zollverein.  Bah !  Don't  speak  to  me  of  them. 
They  will  have  a  rough  awakening." 

"I  have  been  through  the  streets  to-night,"  said 
Temple,  "  and  I  have  witnessed  certain  scenes.  Do  the 
authorities  anticipate  anything  in  the  way  of  a  counter- 
demonstration  to-morrow  ? ' ' 

"  A  counter-demonstration !  From  those  traitors ! 
Heavens,  Monsieur!"  cried  Captain  Constantine  du 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  101 

Vallon,  "  the  soldiery  will  be  there !  The  canaille  dare 
not!" 

It  was  evident  that  in  Court  circles  at  least  a  state 
of  pleasurable  excitement  existed ;  and  when  Du  Vallon 
left  his  friend  he  was  full  of  gay  spirits,  and  pressed  him 
to  call  at  his  apartments  at  the  Palace. 

"We  will  have  a  little  dinner  and  good  company," 
he  declared.  "I  will  get  some  good  fellows  to  meet 
you," 

Temple  thanked  him,  offered  a  tentative  accept- 
ance, and  as  the  Captain  went  out  shot  a  remark  after 
him. 

"Delighted  you  called.  How  did  you  know  I  was 
here?" 

Du  Vallon  faced  round.  "Oh,  they  know  every- 
thing at  the  Bureau  des  etrangers.  I  was  told " 

He  rubbed  his  forehead  meditatively.  "The  letter 
came  back  to  Eisenburg,  you  see,  and  I  received  it 
only  this  morning.  Then  I  inquired,  and  heard  the 
history.  Also  I  learned  you  had  left  Waldthal  and 
were  here." 

"I  wonder  who  gave  you  the  letter  and  the  infor- 
mation," said  Temple  indifferently. 

"  Oh,  the  messenger  —  the  clerk  —  what  is  his 
silly  name?  Little  Ku^§." 

"Ah!"  Temple's  ejaculation  seemed  to  close  the 
topic,  yet,  after  Du  Vallon  had  gone,  he  sat  wrapped 
in  thought  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Then  he  produced 
from  his  pocket  two  letters,  the  envelopes  of  which 
he  submitted  to  careful  scrutiny.  His  advertisement 
regarding  the  unknown  woman  had  brought  him  no 
answers,  save  two  or  three  communications  from  irrel- 
evant and  officious  strangers.  Two  letters  received 


102  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

from  England  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours  — 
one  from  his  mother  and  one  from  his  banker  in  Lon- 
don —  had  shown  signs  of  having  been  tampered 
with.  As  he  examined  them  again,  increasing  sus- 
picion seized  his  mind.  The  envelopes  had  been 
steamed  and  opened.  He  frowned  deeply,  with  a 
realization  that  he  was  in  a  situation  which  required 
elucidation.  Many  things  pointed  to  that;  he  could 
not  accept  all  that  had  happened  as  having  occurred 
naturally.  There  was,  it  seemed,  a  direction  behind 
all,  even  behind  this  visit  of  Du  Vallon's.  One  of  his 
letters  written  from  the  Waldthal  cell  had  never  been 
delivered,  one  had  gone  astray;  two  others,  to  Prince 
von  Stregen  and  the  Marquis  de  Pomeau-Laval,  had 
been  delayed  in  delivery.  There  was  something  that 
certainly  called  for  inquiry  here,  and  he  remembered 
the  advice  of  the  amiable  and  cultivated  commercial 
traveler.  Certainly  some  one  ought  to  pay  the  price 
of  this,  and  he  had  an  idea  that  perhaps  that  some  one 
might  be  the  complacent  M.  Preval.  Anyway,  M. 
Preval  must  wait  until  Proclamation  Day  was  over. 

The  dawn  was  barred  with  rose  and  pink,  and  all 
Eisenburg  was  awake  and  afoot  in  the  first  flush  of  it. 
The  sun  came  up  in  splendor,  and  the  cloud-caps  of 
the  mountains  glistened  in  the  west.  It  was  a  gala 
day  at  Eisenburg,  and  the  picnickers  filled  the  little 
city  to  overflowing.  Towards  midday  the  crush  in 
the  Platz  was  almost  intolerable.  The  shops  were 
shuttered  against  the  press,  but  the  cafes  and  restau- 
rants were  packed  to  suffocation.  The  Grand  Ducal 
party  drove  in  procession  to  the  cathedral  at  this  hour, 
and  the  populace,  having  witnessed  the  passage  of  the 
carriages  and  the  troops  along  the  decorated  streets, 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  103 

spent  the  next  hour  in  refreshing  itself.  In  the  Platz 
the  news  spread  suddenly  like  fire  on  the  heather  that 
the  carriages  were  returning.  They  entered  the  broad 
Platz  at  a  walk,  and  proceeded  up  the  hill  to  the  hand- 
some Council  Hall.  A  flight  of  shallow  stone  steps 
mounted  from  the  street  to  the  portico  above,  where 
the  public  proclamation  was  to  be  made,  and  amid 
cheers  the  first  state  carriage  rolled  up  and  stayed.  The 
uniformed  flunkeys  opened  the  door,  and  a  minor 
Palace  official  descended  amid  bravas.  The  crowd 
was  in  a  holiday  mood  and  was  prepared  to  applaud  all 
and  sundry.  The  official  escaped  up  the  steps  into 
security  and  obscurity,  and  two  other  officials  alighted. 
The  applause  was  renewed,  and  the  operation  was 
repeated  on  the  next  carriage.  The  Chancellor,  his 
Excellency  Count  Cavari,  descended  from  the  third 
carriage,  a  slight,  autocratic,  pale-faced  man,  attended 
by  one  of  the  State  ministers.  His  keen  eyes  passed 
swiftly  over  the  scene,  the  broad  Platz,  the  massed 
spectators,  and  the  gleaming  river  below,  and  then 
amid  a  salvo  of  cheers  he  too  slipped  into  the  unseen. 

Philip  had  taken  up  a  position  on  the  first  floor  of 
a  shop  towards  the  crown  of  the  hill,  and  not  more  than 
fifty  yards  away  from  the  basement  of  the  Council 
Hall.  The  scene  was  not  of  any  unusual  interest  to 
him,  who  had  witnessed  more  imposing  ceremonials 
in  various  capitals,  but  as  he  was  there  he  liked  to  ob- 
serve. He  observed  placidly  now,  noted  with  a  sense 
of  approval  the  resolute  face  of  the  Chancellor  whom 
he  had  once  met  in  peculiar  circumstances,  admired 
the  graceful  appearance  of  the  Court  ladies  and  the 
dapper  looks  of  Du  Vallon's  guards;  and  finally  con- 
templated silently  the  person  of  the  Princess  Alise 


104  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

when  she  stepped  from  the  carriage  which  conveyed 
her  and  the  infant  Grand  Duke  and  his  nurses. 

Philip  tried  in  his  mind  to  isolate  her  from  the  en- 
vironment, so  as  to  see  precisely  what  value  she  would 
carry.  He  was  wondering,  amid  the  salvoes  that  boomed 
to  heaven,  if  she  took  anything  out  of  that  environment 
which  should  not  of  right  belong  to  her,  which  was,  in 
fact,  meretricious.  She  was  dressed  in  deep  mourning, 
and  as  she  turned  her  movements  were  agreeably  grace- 
ful. She  raised  her  face  to  the  overcast  sky,  which  at 
that  moment  had  seemed  to  threaten  rain,  and  Philip 
unconsciously  drew  in  his  breath.  It  was  an  appre- 
ciative act.  No,  detached  from  their  context,  so  to 
speak,  that  figure  and  that  face  remained  what  they 
were.  She  gave  instructions  to  the  attending  nurses, 
bowed  to  the  hurrahing  masses,  and  moved  up  the 
steps  to  the  Council  Hall. 

The  ceremony  within  the  Hall  consisted  of  the  pres- 
entation to  the  deputies,  and  took  half  an  hour.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  the  appearance  of  the  first  official 
on  the  balcony  of  the  Hall  roused  the  temper  of  the 
spectators  in  the  Platz  to  fever  heat.  They  roared 
themselves  hoarse  as  the  stream  filed  out,  and  were 
only  silent  when  the  Chancellor  stepped  forward  to  the 
edge  of  the  balcony  to  make  his  formal  proclamation. 

"I,  Ferdinand  Lorenzo,  under  the  hand  and  seal  of 
his  Serene  Highness's  Council  .  .  ." 

Temple's  ears  easily  distinguished  the  words,  for 
the  voice  rang  clear  and  firm  in  the  air,  and  carried 
through  the  silent  Platz. 

"...  do  hereby  and  now  proclaim  Louis  George 
Maximilian  Heinrich  Wolfgang  Grand  Duke  of  Eisen- 
burg,  Count  of  Elm  .  .  ." 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  105 

Temple's  eyes  left  the  Chancellor  and  the  bundle  of 
lace  which  he  held,  and  passed  to  the  Princess  Regent. 

"...  and  herewith  do  I  present  unto  you  citizens 
of  Eisenburg  your  sovereign  lord,  in  the  name  of 
Louis  XXV."  " 

Amid  the  shouts  that  greeted  this  Philip  thought  a 
hostile  note  was  discernible  for  the  first  time.  From 
downhill  where  the  massed  lines  had  burst  into  the 
roadway  ascended  a  sound  between  wild  laughter  and 
jeering.  The  only  result  was  to  engage  the  attention 
of  the  guards,  who  backed  their  horses  into  the  crowd 
by  way  of  warning.  By  this  time  the  clouds  which  had 
been  watched  by  the  Princess  Regent  had  opened 
above,  and  a  brisk  summer  shower  was  falling.  It 
descended  upon  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  turning  the 
slates  into  a  wonderful  blueness,  and  upon  the  ground, 
which  was  churned  into  mud  under  the  feet  of  men 
and  horses.  By  the  time  the  odd  mediaeval  ceremony 
was  ended  it  was  raining  fast,  and  the  actors  in  the 
drama  were  ushered  hurriedly  into  their  carriages, 
now  closed  and  hooded.  Temple  watched  the  first 
two  of  the  procession  drive  off,  and  as  the  affair  had 
ceased  to  be  interesting,  he  left  his  place  at  the  window 
and  joined  the  spectators  on  the  footway  below.  As  he 
reached  the  level  of  the  street  a  roar  broke  out  down 
the  Platz,  in  which  he  recognized  a  familiar  note;  it 
was  a  renewal  of  the  jeering.  He  pushed  his  way 
along  the  pavement,  and  through  an  accidental  open- 
ing in  the  crowd  penetrated  into  the  roadway.  Here 
in  the  thick  rain  soldiers  were  dashing  about  in  their 
heavy  capes,  endeavoring  to  push  back  the  trespassing 
mob.  Umbrellas  were  up  in  all  directions,  and  the 
noise  of  the  rain  was  as  the  steady  beating  of  the  surf 


106  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

on  a  shore.  A  closed  carriage  moved  away  from  the 
steps  of  the  Council  Hall,  and  rolled  down  the  hill, 
followed  by  faint  cheering,  and  greeted  as  it  descended 
by  noisy  booing.  It  was  evident  that  the  dissentients 
were  gathered  in  that  quarter.  The  next  carriage  moved 
to  take  up,  and  Philip  recognized  it,  partly  on  account 
of  the  chestnut  horses,  and  partly  by  the  coachman; 
it  was  the  carriage  in  which  the  Princess  had  arrived. 
Just  at  that  moment  he  was  elbowed  back  into  the 
gutter  by  a  zealous  policeman,  and  succeeding  in  re- 
covering his  balance,  saw  a  man  dodge  under  the 
officer's  arm  and  rush  down  the  open  Platz.  Vaguely 
he  thought  the  form  of  the  man  familiar,  but  as  he  was 
driven  into  the  mob  on  the  pavement  immediately 
afterwards  by  the  further  efforts  of  the  policeman  he 
was  able  to  give  this  fleeting  recognition  no  more  thought. 

Suddenly  arose  the  sound  of  a  deep,  hoarse  roar- 
ing, as  it  had  been  of  a  football  field  in  his  own  coun- 
try, and  he  felt  himself  become  the  center  of  a  tre- 
mendous and  ferocious  struggle.  He  managed  to  keep 
his  feet,  instead  of  going  down,  as  some  unfortunates 
did  in  the  ugly  press,  and  at  last,  finding  himself  tossing 
on  the  eddies  of  a  maelstrom,  was  flung  out  into  safety, 
breathless.  He  looked  downhill.  The  tide  of  living 
beings  had  broken  across  the  Platz  and  was  over- 
flowing and  engulfing  everything.  It  was  a  tide  full- 
throated  and  raucous,  screaming,  an  imminent  and 
deadly  menace.  .  .  . 

Philip  ran  back  a  little.  He  could  see  two  of  the 
carriages  that  had  been  descending  come  to  a  stop, 
and  the  color  of  the  horses  of  one  of  them  dwelt  in  his 
eye.  The  mob  which  had  checked  the  progress  of 
these  now  broke  and  stampeded  about  them.  It  looked 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  107 

as  if  they  were  seizing  the  horses.  Temple  ran  swiftly 
downhill.  When  he  reached  the  closed  landau  with 
the  chestnut  horses  the  driver  and  the  postilion  had 
succeeded  in  breaking  through  the  fringe  of  the  mob, 
and  the  carriage  was  forging  slowly  towards  the  bridge 
over  the  Larche  at  the  bottom  of  the  Platz,  which 
leads  to  the  other  part  of  the  city  and  the  Palace.  It 
was  evident  that  the  crowd,  which  was  mainly  ill-dressed, 
and  clearly  of  the  lowest  class,  was  not  animated  by 
goodwill.  Although  after  the  first  onrush  it  did  not 
seem  disposed  to  violence,  it  booed  and  jeered,  and 
raised  many  signs  of  its  hostility.  Slowly  the 
carriage  moved  down  towards  the  bridge,  but  ere 
it  reached  it,  out  of  a  side  road  there  flowed  a  savage 
stream  of  rioters,  with  the  man  whom  Temple  had 
half  recognized  at  the  head.  He  was  red  of  face  and 
wild  of  aspect,  and  he  dominated  the  mob  by  his  very 
savagery.  Temple  could  not  catch  what  his  hoarse 
voice  shouted,  but  a  phrase  struck  him — "Sucking- 

Pig!" 

Now  he  remembered  where  he  had  seen  this  fellow; 
he  it  was  who  overnight  had  struck  down  and  destroyed 
the  colors  of  the  Wolfgangs.  He  towered  above  the 
rioters  now,  gesticulating  and  shouting,  and  pointing; 
and  his  example  seemed  to  fire  them;  they  gathered 
round  the  carriage,  which  was  being  driven  more  briskly 
by  the  coachman,  and  impeded  its  course.  The  driver 
endeavored  to  force  his  way  to  the  bridge,  which  they 
had  nearly  reached,  but  a  wall  of  living  bodies  blocked 
his  way.  Somewhere  behind  the  clotted  mob  of  which 
he  was  now  become  a  part  Temple  was  aware  of  sol- 
diers with  raised  swords,  of  policemen  armed.  .  .  . 
But  that  seemed  far  away.  Before  him  were  the  chest- 


108  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

nut  horses  and  a  clamorous,  angry,  hot-breathing  mob. 
The  horses  had  been  forced  round,  and  were  now  at 
right  angles  to  the  bridge  and  their  proper  destination. 
In  that  instant  a  face  appeared  at  the  window,  flushed, 
imperious,  and  frightened,  and  Temple  pushed  past 
the  man  who  stood  in  his  immediate  path.  The  coach- 
man, apparently  convinced  that  it  was  impossible  to 
struggle  further  against  fate,  and  seeing  a  compara- 
tively clear  road  open  to  him  along  the  stream,  plied 
his  whip.  Shouting,  the  rioters  broke  into  a  run  to 
keep  up  with  the  carriage.  They  had  triumphed  so 
far ;  they  had  diverted  the  ducal  carriage  from  its  course. 

Philip  ran  with  the  rest.  So  far  as  he  could  see  there 
was  none  in  this  excited  and  ill-favored  throng  who 
was  not  hostile.  He  ran,  therefore,  with  his  mind  on 
future  contingencies.  Now  the  instinctive  action  of 
the  frightened  coachman  proved  to  be  the  very  best 
course  he  could  have  taken.  His  horses  were  equally 
terrified  with  the  driver,  and  their  panic  lent  speed  to 
their  legs;  so  that  in  a  few  minutes  the  carriage  was 
outstripping  all  but  one  or  two  of  the  rioters  who  had 
clung  to  it.  Philip,  with  good  wind  in  him,  was  racing 
close  behind,  when  he  saw  a  rioter  who  had  clambered 
into  the  front  of  the  vehicle  struggling  with  the  footman. 
Next  moment  the  two  men  had  lost  their  balance  and 
fallen  heavily  to  the  ground.  He  spurted,  caught  up 
the  carriage,  and  passed  the  opening.  The  coachman 
raised  his  whip  at  him. 

"No,  no,"  he  panted,  "I'm  on  your  side.  Keep 
this  up,  and  you  '11  beat  them.  There 's  only  one  behind, 
whom  I'll  attend  to." 

The  coachman  shook  his  head  and  shouted,  and 
Temple  gathered  that  the  road  led  nowhere.  In  that 


PROCLAMATION  DAY  109 

case,  he  thought,  there  was  need  to  husband  both  wind 
and  strength.  He  dropped  his  pace,  with  a  sharp 
movement  of  his  arm  displaced  the  man  who  clung  to 
the  carriage,  and  took  his  place  like  any  little  boy  who 
braves  the  call  of  "whip  behind." 

The  road  was  slightly  on  the  rise  now,  leaving  the 
Larche  on  one  side.  The  pursuit  straggled  behind, 
close  enough  to  raise  doubts  as  to  the  issue.  Philip 
occupied  himself  in  regaining  his  breath,  while  the 
heated  horses  still  galloped  on. 

Presently  he  observed  them  to  slacken  as  the  ascent 
grew  steeper,  and,  jumping  off,  he  ran  round  to  the 
coachman.  The  man  indicated  the  houses  ahead. 

"There  is  no  way  out,"  he  said. 

A  glance  acquainted  Temple  with  the  character  of 
the  neighborhood.  They  were  somewhere  in  the  re- 
gion of  the  frontage  of  the  River  Effel,  and  the  build- 
ings that  met  his  eye  were  of  the  warehouse  type.  Be- 
tween two  of  them  a  yard  opened.  He  slipped  to  the 
door  of  the  carriage. 

"Madam,  the  mob  is  coming  up  fast,"  he  cried 
breathlessly.  "  You  must  take  refuge  here  for  a  while, 
until  assistance  comes." 

"  I  do  not  fear  them  —  I The  face,  proud 

and  flushed  with  anger,  changed  suddenly.  "Yes,  I 
will  come,"  she  said.  "Quick!" 

He  helped  her  out  —  cried  to  the  coachman  to  get 
back  for  assistance,  and  then  with  one  bound  sped 
swiftly  down  the  empty  yard. 


CHAPTER  VIH 

THE   WHARF 

rpEMPLE'S  quick  eyes  had  noted  that  one  of  the 
A  warehouses  backed  upon  a  timber-yard,  and  it 
was  among  the  stacks  of  timber  that  he  now  took 
shelter  with  his  companion.  They  had  only  anticipated 
the  arrival  of  the  first  of  their  pursuers  by  a  few  seconds. 
The  carriage  had  immediately  been  surrounded  by 
some  roughs,  while  others  with  a  scarcely  perceptible 
halt  had  plunged  after  the  fugitives.  Temple  hastily 
made  an  inspection  of  his  surroundings.  The  timber 
rose  in  even  piles  on  all  sides,  and  so  far  he  and  his  com- 
panion had  escaped  notice  through  the  cover  these 
afforded.  To  his  right  was  a  shed,  in  which  was  an 
office,  and  more  timber.  Leftwards  the  yard  seemed 
to  open  up,  and  accordingly  it  was  in  this  direction  that 
they  sped.  Presently  a  wall,  some  three  feet  in  height, 
rose  before  them,  and  over  this  they  scrambled,  now 
alive  to  the  approach  of  the  pursuit  behind.  There  was 
a  building  a  little  ahead,  and  Temple  pressed  on  to- 
wards it.  It  presented  a  heavy  bolted  door  against 
them,  but  a  half -open  window  to  one  side  challenged 
attention.  He  succeeded  in  pushing  it  farther  open 
and  agilely  slipped  through.  The  noise  of  the  rioters 
issued  from  behind  the  woodstacks. 

"  Come,  madam,"  he  whispered,  "  give  me  your  hands. 
Put  one  foot  on  that  sill." 


THE  WHARF  111 

There  was  no  time  for  formalities;  nor  did  the  Prin- 
cess hesitate.  She  obeyed,  and  the  next  moment  found 
herself  without  foothold;  a  pair  of  strong  arms  were 
drawing  her  through  the  window.  Set  on  her  feet  again 
inside,  she  fell  against  Temple,  who  caught  and  stayed 
her. 

"Do  you  think,"  she  panted  like  any  frightened 
woman  — "  do  you  think  they  will  find  us  ?  " 

"I  hope  not,"  he  answered  cheeringly.  "Anyway, 
we  '11  make  it  as  difficult  for  them  as  possible." 

He  closed  the  window  noiselessly,  and  fastened  it. 
Then  he  beckoned  to  his  companion,  and  they  stole 
out  of  the  room  and  into  a  passage.  They  ascended  a 
flight  of  stairs,  and  on  the  first  floor  Temple  made  an 
examination.  It  was  evident  to  him  that  the  place  was 
a  warehouse  attached  to  the  yard  without,  and  crossing 
to  what  appeared  to  be  a  barred  window  he  peered 
through  the  cracks  into  the  daylight  beyond.  By  pull- 
ing at  the  hinges  he  could  just  make  a  peephole  wide 
enough  for  his  eye  and  perceive  where  he  stood.  The 
building  was  a  wharf,  with  a  frontage  to  the  River  Effel. 

The  compartment  of  the  wharf  where  they  stood 
was  merged  in  a  dim  twilight,  in  which,  however,  ob- 
jects were  quite  visible.  A  staircase  ascended  to  other 
floors,  and  there  were  many  cases  scattered  about. 

"Do  you  think  they  have  discovered  us?"  asked 
the  Princess,  breathless  still.  "Where  are  we?" 

"They  have  certainly  not  discovered  us  yet,"  he 
replied.  "We  are  on  the  Effel." 

"The  Effel!"  she  cried  out  in  dismay.  "Then  we 
are  cut  off!" 

"Not  necessarily,"  he  answered.  "If  you  will  stay 
here,  I  will  reconnoiter." 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

The  Princess  assented  by  sitting  down  on  a  wooden 
case.  She  was  tired  by  the  run,  and,  moreover,  she 
had  had  a  shock. 

Temple,  after  looking  to  see  that  she  was  safe,  set 
about  an  exploration  of  the  wharf.  He  first  of  all 
descended  and  inspected  the  doors.  One  of  these  led 
into  the  yard,  and  another  out  upon  a  side  street.  He 
looked  out  of  the  barred  window  here  with  caution  and 
made  out  a  few  figures.  Drawing  back,  he  ascended 
to  the  upper  floors,  without  finding  anything  which 
would  assist  them  in  their  predicament.  Then  he  went 
back  to  the  Princess.  She  was  still  seated. 

"I  can  see  better  now,"  she  said  unexpectedly;  and 
it  was  also  manifest  that  she  had  recovered  herself. 
"I  must  thank  you  for  your  kind  services,"  she  said, 
speaking  in  French. 

"  A  happy  chance,"  said  Temple,  in  the  same  tongue. 
"I  happened  to  be  near." 

"What  did  they  want,  those  canaille?"  she  inquired 
as  suddenly  as  before. 

"It  was  political  demonstration,  a  riot,  in  which 
nothing  much  happens  unless  it  happens  in  the  early 
and  hot-blooded  stages,"  said  Temple  easily. 

She  looked  at  him  and  frowned.  "You  think  it 
nothing?"  she  demanded  with  asperity. 

"Inconvenient,  tiresome,  but  not  dangerous."  Tem- 
ple emphasized  his  words. 

He  paused  as  a  sound  caught  his  ears,  and  then  went 
to  the  head  of  the  stairs  and  listened.  The  Princess 
watched  him,  but  did  not  speak,  and  then  he  passed 
below  out  of  sight.  When  he  returned  he  had  a  heavy 
billet  in  his  hand,  and  his  face  was  thoughtful. 

"Was  it  anything?"  she  asked  in  a  low  voice. 


THE  WHARF  113 

"Nothing  of  importance,"  he  replied. 

"How  can  you  put  me  off  like  that?"  she  asked 
angrily.  "Am  I  a  child?" 

She  had  spoken  in  English,  and  for  a  moment  he 
wondered. 

"There  was  a  man  who  had  gained  admittance 
through  the  window,"  said  Temple,  in  the  same  tongue. 

"Well!"      She    spoke    eagerly,    authoritatively. 

"I  had  to  stop  him,"  was  Philip's  further  contribu- 
tion to  the  narrative. 

But  she  extracted  it  all,  if  piecemeal.  "  Is  he  dead  ?" 
she  asked,  awed. 

"  I  don't  know  —  I  don't  think  so.  In  fact,  I  should 
say  not."  Temple  regarded  his  billet  of  wood,  and  the 
Princess  followed  his  gaze.  A  little  shudder  took  hold 
of  her  and  ran  through  her  limbs. 

"Are  you  sure  he  was  — he  was  one  of  the  rioters?" 
she  inquired,  with  a  change  in  her  voice. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  meeting  her  glance.  "There 
were  several  outside  hunting." 

"  Then  they  will  come  again ;  they  will  try  this  place 
again." 

"Probably."  He  mused,  as  if  he  had  something  to 
follow  up  in  his  mind.  "  You  know  why  they  are  here  ?  " 
he  asked  next. 

"  Because  they  are  opposed  to  the  government  — 
to  wreak  their  vengeance  on  me,  Princess  Regent," 
she  stated  proudly. 

There  was  a  flutter  about  her  mouth  which  went 
to  Temple's  heart;  she  was  frightened,  and  she  was 
brave.  What  did  she  fear?  Well,  he  could  relieve  her 
of  that  fear  at  any  rate. 

"  They  imagine  the  Grand  Duke  to  be  here,"  he  said. 


114  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"The  Grand  Duke!  My  baby!"  The  Princess 
was  amazed,  and  her  eyes  opened  in  a  wild  discharge 
of  fire.  "They  wanted  him.  Oh!"  she  cried,  "I  am 
glad  you  went  down.  I  hope  he  is  dead." 

"You  see,  they  supposed  that  the  Grand  Duke  left 
the  Council  Hall  with  you,  seeing  that  he  arrived  with 
you." 

She  clenched  her  right  hand.  "By  God's  mercy  I 
sent  him  off  with  the  Baroness.  It  was  the  rain,  and 
he  was  peevish.  I  thought  it  wiser.  Heaven  be  thanked ! 
He  is  safe  in  the  Palace  long  since.  And  they  wanted 
him!" 

Temple  watched  her  curiously.  Was  she  ignorant 
of  what  he,  an  entire  stranger,  had  taken  only  a  few 
hours  to  learn  ? 

"Was  it  to  kidnap  him?"  she  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

"I  suppose  so.  I  don't  know.  I'm  new  to  Eisen- 
burg.  It  appears  there  is  discontent  among  the  lower 
classes  here." 

"  Discontent,  yes.  I  have  known  that.  But  — 

this "  She  met  his  gaze,  and,  after  a  pause,  said, 

"  I  am  sorry  you  had  that  ridiculous  mistake  made." 

So  she  had  remembered  him,  as  he  thought  she 
must  have  done  from  her  use  of  the  English  tongue. 

"It  was,  as  you  say,  ridiculous,"  he  replied. 

"But,"  she  went  on,  "you  see  now  there  was  some 
justification  for  their  alarm." 

"Yes,"  he  replied  thoughtfully.  "It  was  not  the 
arrest  I  minded.  That  might  have  been  in  itself  rather 
a  lark.  It  was  afterwards." 

"  Afterwards - 

Again  a  sound  ascended  from  below,  and  he  turned 
again  and  went  to  the  head  of  the  stairs,  billet  in  hand. 


THE  WHARF  115 

She  watched  him,  as  before,  listen  and  disappear  into 
darkness.  Waiting  there,  she  experienced  a  certain  wild 
panic.  Her  heart  beat  against  its  bars,  and  seemed  to 
cease.  It  was  the  suspense.  She  strained  her  ears, 
but  could  catch  no  ascending  sound;  and  then  a  door 
banged,  and  an  instant  clamor  arose,  of  voices,  of  noises 
indeterminable.  Slowly  detaching  itself  from  this  melee, 
she  caught  the  sound  of  feet  coming  up  the  naked  stairs. 
She  was  first  conscious  of  the  billet  of  wood  in  his  hand. 

"They  have  got  in?"  she  panted. 

"They  have  got  through  the  window  which  was 
not  barred ;  the  door  I  managed  to  jam,  and  it  will  take 
them  some  time  to  break  it  down." 

"  Did  you "    She  glanced  at  the  fearful  billet. 

"No,"  he  answered,  and  then:  "If  I  assure  them 
that  the  Grand  Duke  is  not  here,  I  think  it  would  ap- 
pease them.  It  is  not  you  they  want." 

"Assure  them !  No,  a  hundred  times  no,"  she  broke 
out  indignantly.  "Would  you  have  me  haggle  or  deal 
with  infamous  creatures  like  these?" 

He  turned  and  listened  to  the  noises  which  were  in- 
creasing in  force  below. 

"There  is  no  possibility  of  escape  by  either  of  the 
outer  doors,"  he  said.  "Each  is  guarded." 

"Perhaps  the  soldiery  will  be  here  soon,"  she 
suggested. 

"I  doubt  if  the  coachman  would  have  been  allowed 
to  get  through,"  he  said.  "  But  it  is  possible.  Anyhow, 
they  have  n't  got  out  of  their  trap  yet,"  he  reminded 
her,  with  a  smile. 

But  the  Princess  was  in  no  humor  for  smiling. 

"This  was  a  plot,  then,  for  the  abduction  of  the 
Grand  Duke,"  she  said,  as  if  startled  by  the  idea. 


116  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"It  looks  like  it,"  he  agreed,  and  added:  "They 
don't  want  you.  It  was  the  child  I  heard  them  talking 
about." 

"Do  you  think  I  will  purchase  my  safety  that  way?" 
she  cried  scornfully.  "I  will  surrender  not  one  jot  to 
the  ruffians." 

Temple  went  to  the  stairhead  and  listened.  If  he 
had  hoped  she  would  yield  to  his  significant  hint,  he 
showed  no  sign  of  disappointment.  He  closed  the 
door  which  was  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  turned 
about  for  the  barred  shutters  on  the  water.  Lifting 
the  iron  staple  from  its  sockets,  he  wrenched  open 
those  shutters  so  that  a  flood  of  the  bright  daylight 
entered  the  floor.  For  a  moment  he  stood  on  the  edge 
looking  down  at  the  river,  which  was  some  fifteen  feet 
below.  Then  he  came  back  to  the  Princess.  "There 
is  one  way  out,  if  you  will  take  it,"  he  said.  "  With  a 
rope  I  can  lower  you  to  the  water,  where  there  is  a  barge." 

"Yes."  She  was  moving  instantly,  but  he  stopped 
her.  "Mind  you,  you  must  not  let  go.  I  will  put  a 
loop  in  the  rope,  but  it  will  depend  upon  your  hold- 
ing on." 

"  Yes,  I  will  do  it,"  she  said.    "  Do  you  think  I  mind  ?  " 

She  approached  the  open  door  of  the  wharf  and 
looked  out,  and  Temple  without  more  words  adjusted 
the  rope  he  had  found.  Then  he  put  the  loop  in  her 
hands. 

"I  will  lower  it  quickly,  but  not  too  quickly.  Di- 
rectly you  feel  something  under  your  feet  let  go." 

"Yes,  yes."  She  seemed  impatient  of  his  instruc- 
tions, and  feverishly  laid  hold  of  the  rope,  twining  her 
delicate  hands  in  the  loop. 

She  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice  at  his  instance, 


THE  WHARF  117 

and  ere  he  moved  to  the  next  stage  in  the  proceedings 
his  brain  took  in,  as  it  were  in  flashlight,  the  odd  pic- 
ture —  the  slight,  black-clad  figure,  the  bronze-brown, 
beautiful  hair,  the  pale  face,  and  impassioned  eyes  of 
the  Princess  Regent  as  she  sat  on  the  dirty  margin  of 
the  wharf,  with  the  blue  waters  of  the  Effel  flowing 
below.  Then,  tightening  the  rope,  he  gave  warning,  and 
gently  pushed  her  over. 

She  fell  to  her  full  outstretched  length  in  a  moment, 
and  in  her  eyes  looking  up  was  a  desperate  courage. 
He  paid  out  as  fast  as  was  advisable,  and  then  called 
out  softly,  "  Now,  you  are  safe  —  the  barge  is  under 
you."  She  let  go  at  his  words,  alighted  unevenly,  and 
staggered  and  fell,  but  only  upon  a  hospitable  and 
friendly  deck.  Temple  turned  and  listened  to  the  up- 
roar behind.  He  judged  that  the  rioters  must  be  nearly 
at  an  end  of  their  task,  and  that  the  door  was  all  but 
down.  There  was  no  time  to  lose.  When  he  looked 
down  again  the  Princess  was  looking  up. 

"What  of  you?"  she  called  faintly. 

He  slipped  the  loop  over  an  iron  stanchion  in  the 
floor  and  lowered  himself  outwards,  slipping  hand 
over  hand  downwards.  Once  landed,  he  hastened  to 
the  rear  of  the  barge,  where  a  small  dinghy  swung  on 
a  painter,  and  he  helped  the  obedient  Princess  into  it. 

"We  are  just  in  time,"  he  said.  "They  will  be 
through  in  a  few  minutes." 

He  cast  off  and  dipped  the  sculls  he  had  found  with 
a  long,  firm  sweep  into  the  waters  of  the  Effel. 

The  Princess  sat  facing  him  in  silence  for  some 
minutes,  and  then  she  turned  and  looked  backwards. 
Two  figures  were  visible  on  the  wharf,  and  it  was  evi- 
dent that  they  understood  what  had  happened,  for  they 


118  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

were  standing  at  gaze.  The  dinghy  was  now  a  hundred 
yards  away  and  speeding  downstream  in  the  direction 
of  the  Palace.  Already  the  beautiful  grounds  that 
abutted  on  the  Effel  had  come  into  sight.  The  Prin- 
cess sighed,  and  turned  round  to  face  the  man  once 
more. 

"You  said,"  she  began  abruptly,  "that  after- 
wards   " 

For  a  moment  he  did  not  follow  her,  and  then  he 
recalled. 

"Oh,  yes,  afterwards  it  was  not  so  pleasant,"  he 
said,  smiling. 

"It  was  abominably  careless  of  them  to  make  that 
mistake,"  she  commented.  "It  should  have  been  easy 
to  find  out  who  you  were — Sir  Philip  Temple?" 

Her  last  words  were  an  interrogation,  very  soft  and 
delightful  on  her  lips;  and  it  stirred  in  him  a  thrill  of 
pleasure  that  she  had  remembered  his  name. 

"  It  should  have  been  easy,  but  it  was  n't,"  he  laughed. 
"For  some  reason  or  other  the  local  police  were  bent 
on  believing  me  to  be  one  Ketschinski,  and  the  magis- 
trate proved  dull." 

"I'm  sorry  you  had  such  an  inhospitable  welcome 
at  our  hands,"  she  said,  after  a  pause.  She  looked  at  him 
frankly.  "I  at  least  owe  you  gratitude." 

He  murmured  a  conventional  phrase  of  repudiation. 
"  We  had  better  use  that  jetty  to  land  by,"  she  said,  in 
a  practical  voice. 

He  looked  over  his  shoulder,  plied  one  oar,  and  so 
drifted  in  to  shore.  The  jetty  gave  access  to  a  flight 
of  steps,  which  again  led  to  a  gate  and  the  grounds  of 
the  Palace.  When  Temple  would  have  left  her  safe 
within  the  gardens  she  refused  peremptorily. 


THE  WHARF  119 

"You  must  come  with  me,  Sir  Philip." 

He  was  rather  a  rueful  object,  having  lost  his  hat, 
and  being  disheveled  in  hair  and  tie  and  general  ap- 
pearance, but  he  submitted  easily,  and  they  talked  in 
quite  an  ordinary  society  manner  as  the  Princess  steered 
the  way  towards  the  Palace. 

"We  have  a  wonderful  show  of  lilac,"  she  said, 
pausing  as  they  came  out  on  a  lawn.  "This  is  in  the 
English  fashion,  as  you  perceive.  Lilac  is  the  national 
emblem ;  at  least,  it  is  the  Wolfgangs'  badge.  They  are 
in  their  full  glory  now." 

He  gazed  at  the  shrubberies,  and  his  eye  followed 
farther  into  pleated  alleys,  purple  and  white  and  sil- 
ver, all  in  the  sweetness  of  their  prime. 

"So   be   the   Wolfgangs!"   he   murmured. 

She  turned  swiftly  to  him,  as  was  characteristic  of 
her.  "Thank  you,  Sir  Philip.  They  shall  be.  It  is 
my  sister's  son.  He  is  my  care  now.  I  have  taken 
the  responsibility  on  me."  She  spoke  sadly,  remem- 
bering the  Grand  Duchess.  They  resumed  their 
way  and  for  a  little  while  in  silence,  and  then  she 
said: 

"Your  rude  experiences  of  Eisenburg  will  not  drive 
you  away?" 

She  had  been  witness  to  two  of  his  experiences,  and 
he  wondered  as  he  replied  what  she  would  say  if  she 
knew  of  the  others.  Fate,  indeed,  had  compressed 
many  odd  and  ugly  vicissitudes  into  the  short  compass 
of  his  stay. 

"No,  I  am  interested.  I  was  never  in  the  grand- 
duchy  before." 

"You,  with  your  great  Empire,  laugh  at  our  petty 
States,"  she  said  challengingly. 


120  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"No,  I  don't  think  we  do,"  he  said.  "I  think  that, 
on  the  contrary,  the  notion  of  a  kingdom  in  miniature, 
a  cameo,  so  to  speak,  takes  hold  of  our  imagination. 
After  all,  it  is  not  only  bigness  that  matters.  If  we 
conceive  of  things  big  enough,  the  mind  is  baffled, 
and  gives  up  as  in  contemplation  of  infinity.  There 
is  something  alluring  in  smallness,  in  definition,  as 
there  is,  say,  in  a  small  organism  as  cunningly  con- 
structed as  a  large  one.  We  wonder  at  the  large;  we 
admire  the  small." 

"That  is  a  view  I  never  thought  of,"  she  confessed. 
"I,  too,  am  new  to  Eisenburg,  as  I  only  came  with 
my  sister ;  but  Astra,  my  brother's  State,  is  of  not  much 
greater  size." 

The  Palace,  into  the  precincts  of  which  they  now 
entered,  was  a  rambling  building  in  the  Palladian  style. 
It  looked  across  the  Effel  towards  the  vineyards  of 
eastern  Eisenburg  and  the  German  marches,  and  it 
dominated  Eisenburg  in  a  hospitable  and  paternal 
fashion  without  fortifications  or  military  defenses. 
Sentinels  kept  ward  on  the  outer  approaches,  but  that 
was  rather  in  compliment  and  as  a  royal  prerogative 
than  from  any  belief  in  their  necessity. 

The  Princess  was  received  amid  a  natural  exhibi- 
tion of  excitement  and  relief.  Word  had  reached  the 
Chancellor  of  the  riot,  and  he  had  despatched  the 
soldiery  to  the  Platz,  where  the  story  of  the  attack  on 
the  carriage  was  the  common  property  of  bated  breaths. 
The  gentleman  usher,  who  informed  her  Highness  of 
this,  concluded  by  stating  that  his  Excellency  was  ex- 
pecting a  report  each  minute  now.  His  Excellency,  of 
course,  was  at  once  acquainted  with  the  news  of  the 
Princess's  arrival,  and  hastened  to  interview  her.  If 


THE  WHARF  121 

he  felt  any  surprise  at  seeing  Temple  in  the  drawing- 
room  when  the  interview  was  granted,  he  did  not  show 
it.  Indeed,  he  cast  a  glance  at  the  Englishman,  and 
passed  on,  without  appearing  to  recognize  him. 

"It  is  not  necessary  to  consider  it  a  definite  plot, 
your  Highness,"  he  said,  after  the  first  exchanges, 
"  but  it  was  certainly  a  riot  which  might  have  had  very 
grave  results." 

"  Which  would  have  had  for  me,  had  it  not  been  for 
Sir  Philip  Temple,"  she  said  impulsively,  indicating 
the  Englishman. 

Count  Cavari  turned,  and  his  face  lightened  grayly. 
"  Pray  forgive  me,  Sir  Philip,"  he  said ;  "  I  did  not  rec- 
ognize you " 

"  Not  unnaturally,  since  you  have  seen  me  only  once," 
said  the  young  man  pleasantly. 

"I  understand  you  were  able  to  be  of  use  to  her 
Highness  in  this  deplorable  affair." 

"Of  use  !  of  use  !"  repeated  the  Princess  impatiently. 
"  I  owe  my  safety  to  Sir  Philip,  Count." 

"He  is  to  be  heartily  congratulated,"  said  his  Ex- 
cellency, bowing. 

"I  feel  that,"  said  Temple,  in  his  light  voice,  "I 
have  stolen  a  march  on  your  soldiers,  and  shall  not  be 
forgiven  by  Captain  du  Vallon." 

"Du  Vallon!"  The  Count's  shrewd  eyes  dwelt 
on  the  speaker.  "  Ah !  you  are  acquainted  with  Cap- 
tain du  Vallon.  Yes,  he  has  gone  with  a  detachment 
of  guards.  But  her  Highness  is  safe,  which  is  the  main 
thing,  however  accomplished." 

The  Princess  seemed  put  out  by  this  formal  and 
bloodless  recognition  of  a  debt  which  her  warm,  woman's 
heart  acknowledged. 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"Was  your  Excellency  aware  of  this  plot?"  she 
asked  shortly. 

"It  is  not  necessary  to  go  to  the  extreme  of  regard- 
ing it  as  a  definite  plot,"  said  the  Count  slowly.  "  We 
deny  that  it  was  a  plot.  It  was  merely  the  ebullition 
of  ill-feeling  on  the  part  of  certain  malcontents." 

"It  must  be  understood,  Count,  that  there  is  to  be 
no  further  ebullition  of  ill-feeling,"  said  she,  a  little 
dryly. 

The  Count  bowed.  "We  have  our  fingers  now  on 
the  infected  spot;  we  are  able  to  act."  He  looked  at 
Temple,  who  had  risen.  "Perhaps  Sir  Philip  will  give 
me  the  pleasure  of  his  company." 

Temple  took  his  dismissal,  as  the  Princess  said 
nothing;  and  the  two  men,  after  the  ceremonies  of 
leave-taking,  departed  together.  They  spoke  of  various 
matters,  ranging  from  the  events  of  the  day  to  the 
scenery,  and  thus  in  conversation  reached  the  Palace 
gates,  where  the  Chancellor's  carriage  was  waiting. 

"  Eisenburg  owes  you  a  debt,  Sir  Philip,"  said  he,  in 
his  very  quiet,  clear,  office-like  voice.  "But  you  will, 
I  am  sure,  be  generous  and  forgive  it."  He  paused. 
"By  the  way,  did  you  get  any  replies  to  your  adver- 
tisement?" he  asked. 

"  No,"  said  Philip  —  "  none,  that  is,  of  any  relevance." 

"Ah!  I  was  afraid  not,"  said  his  Excellency.  "I 
was  afraid  not." 

He  inclined  his  head  graciously  to  the  young  man 
from  the  interior  of  his  carriage. 


CHAPTER  IX 

MR.   EDWARD   CAYMAN'S  CARD 

TEMPLE  had  some  natural  curiosity  to  read  the 
comments  of  the  newspapers  on  the  events  of 
Proclamation  Day.  The  government  organ,  while 
condemning  the  riot  in  unmeasured  terms,  went  on  to 
deprecate  any  importance  being  attached  to  it.  That 
was  evidently  the  cue  for  the  loyalists.  But  the  other 
journal  sounded  a  graver  note ;  it  referred  vaguely  to  the 
discontent  of  certain  classes,  hinted  at  foreign  intrigues, 
and  left  on  the  reader  an  impression  of  its  own  belief 
in  the  significance  of  the  outbreak.  Neither  paper 
contained  any  account  of  the  adventures  of  the  Princess 
Regent  beyond  a  passing  reference  to  a  "regrettable 
attack"  on  a  carriage  in  the  Grand  Ducal  proces- 
sion. Philip  set  his  papers  down  on  the  breakfast- 
table  and  picked  up  his  letters.  These  he  examined, 
but  he  could  find  no  sign  that  they  had  been  tampered 
with.  He  opened  one  from  his  banker,  another  from 
his  lawyer;  and  the  third,  which  held  him  longest,  was 
from  an  old  and  frivolous  acquaintance. 

"I  don't  know  where  the  deuce  you  are,"  wrote 
Bobby  Webb;  "but  if  you  are  in  town  and  accessible 
come  in  on  Wednesday.  I  've  got  a  topping  party  on. 
I  did  hear  you  were  in  Eisenburg  some  time  ago.  I 
forget  who  told  me  —  Jack  Russell,  I  think.  I  once 
spent  a  day  there  through  losing  my  connections  —  a 


124  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

blighter  of  a  dull  place.  I  never  heard  of  it  before. 
But,  rumly  enough,  I  bucked  into  a  sort  of  Consul 
or  Counsel,  or  something  representing  it,  at  Lady 
Waghorn's  not  long  ago — Treval,  Breval,  or  some- 
thing. ..." 

There  was  nothing  of  interest  in  a  letter  which 
merely  breathed  the  exuberant  and  uncivilized  vitality 
of  its  author.  It  was  only  the  name  of  the  "  Consul  or 
Counsel,  Treval,  Breval,"  that  set  Temple  thinking. 
It  set  him  thinking  of  M.  Preval;  and  he  remembered 
that  he  had  come  to  the  capital  partly  with  the  idea 
of  seeing  that  suave  gentleman. 

He  had  repaired  the  ravages  to  his  costume  effected 
by  his  part  in  the  affair  of  the  previous  day,  and  towards 
noon  he  left  the  hotel.  It  was  not  difficult  to  find  one's 
way  about  Eisenburg,  and  inquiries  made  in  the  hotel 
had  given  him  the  information  he  wanted.  It  was  a 
beautiful  soft  morning,  and  the  city  was  very  peaceful ; 
with  the  passing  of  the  night  there  seemed  to  have  passed 
also  the  violent  passions  and  disorders  of  the  riot. 
People  went  about  their  business  placidly,  chatted  on 
the  pavements,  peered  into  shop  windows,  and  ex- 
changed greetings.  No  doubt  the  events  of  Proclama- 
tion Day  were  being  eagerly  discussed,  but  there  was 
no  outward  sign  of  any  excitement  or  alarm. 

Temple  paid  his  first  visit  to  the  British  Consulate, 
but  found  that  Mr.  Wakeling  was  absent.  As  he  had 
intended  to  take  counsel  with  this  experienced  man, 
and  benefit  by  his  knowledge  of  the  country,  ere  he  pro- 
ceeded to  interview  M.  Preval,  Temple  was  disappointed. 
However,  he  did  not  wish  to  lose  time,  and  so  he  made 
his  way  to  the  offices  of  M.  Preval.  M.  Preval  was  an 
advocate  of  some  note  in  Eisenburg,  as  he  had  already 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       125 

been  informed,  and  was  rapidly  advancing  in  fame. 
Philip  would  like  to  have  met  him  again  under  con- 
ditions different  from  those  which  had  formerly  in- 
vested them  both,  but  for  the  present  he  was  doomed 
to  failure.  M.  Preval,  like  the  British  Consul,  was  out. 
He  learned  this  in  the  outer  office  of  a  clerk,  who  po- 
litely begged  to  know  if  M.  Preval's  partner,  M.  Mar- 
chand,  would  serve  the  visitor's  purpose.  Temple  con- 
sidered. What  he  really  wanted  to  learn  was  the  reason 
for  his  absurd  prosecution.  M.  Preval,  to  judge  from 
his  face,  was  far  from  being  a  fool,  as  also  his  reputation 
demonstrated ;  yet  he  had  taken  a  prime  part  in  a  farce 

which No ;  he  had  long  made  up  his  mind  that 

M.  Preval  could,  if  he  would,  reveal  to  him  something 
in  regard  to  that  prosecution  which  he  did  not  under- 
stand. Philip  Temple  had  realized  that  he  was  some- 
how the  center  of  a  little  mystery.  It  did  not  give  him 
much  concern,  but  it  did  interest  him  a  good  deal.  He 
meditated,  and  resolved  to  see  M.  Marchand,  at  least,  as 
a  preliminary.  He  had  plenty  of  time  on  his  hands. 

On  his  assenting  to  the  clerk's  suggestion,  he  was 
conducted  into  a  farther  room  which  was  vacant,  and 
invited  to  wait.  M.  Marchand  tarried,  and  Temple 
occupied  his  time  in  looking  about  him,  as  he  always 
did.  It  was  a  plain  lawyer's  room,  with  documents  in 
order  upon  an  American  writing-table,  black  tin  boxes 
against  the  wall  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  a  neat  li- 
brary of  law  books.  The  window  in  front  of  the  writing- 
table  looked  on  the  pleasant  street  sloping  to  the  River 
Larche,  with  its  bridge  and  its  drooping  willows. 

Temple  decided  that  this  was  M.  Preval's  room, 
and  he  turned  to  examine  the  mantelpiece.  It  was 
a  litter  of  books  and  papers  and  letters,  and  at  one  end 


126  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

was  a  box  of  cigars.  Stuck  in  the  framework  of  the 
portrait  of  what  Temple  took  for  the  late  Grand  Duke, 
which  hung  on  the  wall,  were  sundry  visiting-cards. 
These  were  negligently  embraced  in  Temple's  passing 
gaze.  The  cover  of  a  book  struck  his  attention,  and 
he  put  a  hand  on  it  to  examine  the  title,  as  it  was  too 
bright  of  hue  to  be  a  law  book.  The  action  disturbed 
a  stack  of  papers,  which  fell  from  a  stiff,  perpendicular 
position  into  a  more  comfortable  horizontal  one,  and 
in  that  act  of  settlement  opened  out  untidily.  Temple 
looked  to  see  that  he  had  done  no  damage,  and  a 
card  arrested  his  eye  —  and  his  mind. 

It  was  an  ordinary  carte  de  visite,  on  which  was 
imprinted  — 

MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN 
GREEN  PARK  CLUB  104  Half  Moon  St.,  W. 

What  was  it  in  the  shining  piece  of  pasteboard  which 
stirred  him?  Almost  involuntarily  his  fingers  went 
to  his  coat,  where  his  pocket-book  was.  It  was,  as 
I  have  said,  mainly  an  instinctive  act;  and  then  he 
knew.  His  fingers  were  groping  for  a  card  that  he 
had  deposited  in  the  pocket-book  a  week  or  more 
earlier,  and  that  card  bore  the  name  of  "Mr.  Edward 
Cayman." 

The  entrance  of  M.  Marchand  interrupted  the 
course  of  his  thoughts.  But  there  was  nothing  in  that 
interview.  Sir  Philip  Temple  desired  particularly  to 
know  when  M.  Preval  would  be  able  to  give  him  au- 
dience. M.  Marchand  could  not  say,  looking  askance 
at  the  Englishman.  But  no  doubt  M.  Preval  would 
communicate  with  Sir  Philip  Temple. 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       127 

That  was  the  substance  of  it,  but  Sir  Philip  Temple 
had  other  things  to  consider  than  this  quite  unsatis- 
factory interview.  Obviously  M.  Marchand  was  not 
at  ease  with  him;  obviously  he  knew  something,  and 
equally  obviously  he  feared.  That  was  the  least  of  it. 
What  was  concerning  Temple  more  than  all  else  was 
a  chain  connected  up  by  fate,  accident,  destiny  —  as 
you  will.  There  was  Bobby  Webb's  letter,  with  its 
reference  to  an  Eisenburg  "Consul  or  Counsel";  there 
was  the  gentleman  in  the  motor-car  at  the  gates  of 
Templemore;  and  lastly,  there  was  M.  Preval  and  his 
card. 

There  was  only  one  conclusion  to  which  a  swift 
imagination  led.  M.  Preval,  whom  Bobby  Webb  had 
met  in  London,  was  no  other  than  Mr.  Edward  Cay- 
man of  the  address  that  did  not  exist,  of  the  club  that 
repudiated  him. 

It  was  high  time,  he  thought,  to  construct  a  theory 
out  of  his  facts,  and  this  he  did  later  in  the  day.  To 
bring  things  clearly  before  his  mind,  he  set  them  down 
on  paper  thus: 

"1.  M.  Preval  informs  Lady  Augusta  that  her  son 
is  seriously  injured,  with  the  result  that  she  telegraphs 
to  him,  and  he  returns  to  England. 

"  2.  Sir  Philip  Temple  is  arrested  on  a  bogus  charge, 
and,  but  for  the  accidental  intervention  of  a  German 
commercial  traveler,  would  have  gone  to  prison  for  an 
indefinite  term  of  years. 

"3.  Sir  Philip  has  a  narrow  escape  of  his  life  at  the 
hands  of  a  party  unknown,  whom  Baron  Favrinck 
declares  to  have  designed  murder." 

He  looked  at  these  items  singly,  extracted  all  infer- 
ences that  occurred  to  him,  and  finally  arrived  at  his 


128  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

generalization.  Some  person  or  persons  in  Eisen- 
burg  did  not  want  him  —  in  other  words,  wanted  him 
out  of  the  way. 

They  had  first  endeavored  to  achieve  their  object 
by  mild  means,  and,  these  failing,  owing  to  his  un- 
expected and  insular  tenacity  of  purpose,  they  had 
proceeded  to  more  violent  means.  Was  it,  he  specu- 
lated, that  he  was  a  suspect  for  any  reason?  Yet  the 
unknown  enemies  knew  that  he  was  Sir  Philip  Temple 
of  Templemore.  Of  what  could  he  be  suspected? 
M.  Preval  had  undertaken  the  prosecution  for  the 
government.  Was  it  the  government  who  were  at 
the  back  of  this  strange  plot?  But  for  a  government 
to  assassinate ! 

It  was  here  that  he  ceased  to  puzzle,  and  quietly 
ordered  his  dinner.  Opposite  him  at  the  little  table 
was  an  Italian  with  an  agreeable  address,  who  made 
a  pleasant  associate.  He  was  garrulous  and  communi- 
cative, and  just  a  little  over-charmed  with  his  own 
knowledge.  That,  however,  was  considerable  where 
Eisenburg  was  concerned.  He  had  witnessed  the  up- 
roarious scenes  of  the  previous  day,  and  he  shook  his 
head  at  them. 

"There  is  more  behind  it,"  he  opined.  "It  is  only 
a  sign." 

"  I  am  told,"  said  Temple,  "  that  the  Chancellor  does 
not  attribute  much  importance  to  it." 

"The  Chancellor!"  said  the  Italian.  "Then  he  is 
very  stupid.  No,  he  is  not  stupid.  He  is,  as  you  know, 
descended  from  an  Italian  house.  He  is  a  very  clever 
man.  No  one  could  accuse  him  of  stupidity.  But  he 
may  not  be  well  informed.  He  ought  to  be.  Every 
one  knows  that  they  talk  of  Albrecht  openly  in  the 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       129 

markets.  I  buy  wine,  and  I  hear  what  goes  on.  It  is 
not  that  they  want  Albrecht,  these  people.  But  they 
talk  of  him.  The  lower  classes  want  him.  And  this 
long  minority  —  trade  will  suffer.  Besides,  there  is 
the  Boar." 

Temple  was  acquainted  with  the  Boar,  and  was  in- 
terested. The  Boar's  feud,  declared  the  Italian,  was 
a  living  force  to  reckon  with,  and,  from  what  he  had 
seen  of  the  Boar,  Temple  could  credit  it. 

"The  Baron's  roots  go  as  deep  as  the  Wolfgangs'," 
said  his  Italian  friend;  "a  capable,  bluff  man,  and  one 
that  knows  his  mind.  I  have  bought  largely  from  his 
southern  vineyards,  and  I  know." 

Temple  felt  that  he  was  gradually  being  absorbed 
into  the  fabric  of  this  little  State;  he  was  learning  so 
much.  He  knew  so  much  of  its  intimate  history  which 
could  not  be  learned  out  of  books;  he  was  becoming 
familiar  with  its  principal  figures.  Already  the  dynas- 
tic problem  of  Eisenburg  had  laid  hold  of  his  interest. 
He  finished  his  dinner  leisurely,  and  later  strolled  out  to 
enjoy  the  evening  air.  The  city  had  sunk  to  rest,  save 
for  the  cafes  and  places  of  amusement.  He  watched 
the  gloaming  die  on  the  face  of  the  Effel,  and  then 
turned  through  the  gas-lit  streets.  In  the  Rue  du 
Paix,  as  it  was  alternatively  called  at  the  street  corners, 
the  glare  of  a  lamp  fell  upon  a  door-plate,  which  quite 
by  chance  drew  his  eyes.  It  brought  back  a  vision 
of  an  agreeable  and  friendly  traveler,  who  had  done  him 
a  great  service.  "  Kartolen"  was  the  name  on  the  door. 

Philip  Temple  stepped  back  into  the  road  off  the 
pavement,  and  cast  a  glance  upwards  at  the  building. 
It  was  not  a  shop,  but  rather  in  the  nature  of  a  private 
dwelling-house,  such  as  might  belong  to  a  doctor  or 


130  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

some  other  professional  man.  He  stood  for  a  moment 
regarding  the  house,  and  noticed  a  light  in  a  lower  win- 
dow. This  seemed  to  indicate  the  presence  of  some 
one,  possibly  of  the  obliging  Herr  Kartolen  himself. 
Temple  remembered  the  invitation  extended  to  him, 
and  had  a  sudden  impulse  to  call.  A  bell-handle  pro- 
truded conveniently  under  the  light  of  the  street-lamp. 
He  moved  to  the  pavement  again,  and  went  up  the  two 
steps  towards  the  door.  The  street-lamp  illumined 
strongly  also  his  own  face  at  this  moment,  and  some 
one  in  the  road  was  watching  it  out  of  the  shadows.  He 
rang,  and  had  to  wait,  until  he  had  begun  to  think  he 
had  made  a  mistake  as  to  the  existence  of  any  one  be- 
hind the  walls.  Then  the  door  opened,  and  a  man's 
face  emerged  carefully.  It  was  not  Herr  Kartolen's, 
but  belonged  to  a  younger  man,  formal  of  aspect  and 
dull  of  eye. 

"Is  Herr  Kartolen  in?"  inquired  Temple. 

The  clerk,  if  such  he  was,  replied  that  he  would 
see,  and  demanded  the  visitor's  name.  He  went  away 
armed  with  a  card,  and  leaving  Temple  outside.  Pres- 
ently, after  what  seemed  rather  a  lengthy  interval,  he 
returned,  and  asked  the  caller  to  follow  him.  They 
passed  along  a  hall  out  of  which  a  lighted  room,  fur- 
nished as  an  office,  opened  to  a  room  beyond  in  which 
a  light  burned  dimly.  The  clerk  turned  it  up,  and 
stating  that  Herr  Kartolen  would  be  free  shortly,  if 
the  gentleman  would  wait,  left  the  room  and  closed  the 
door. 

Philip  sat  down  at  the  table  and  whiled  away  the 
time  by  looking  over  the  newspapers  which  he  found. 
They  were  mainly  German,  and  included  the  Klad- 
deradatsch  and  Simplicissimus,  which  entertained  him 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       131 

faintly.  But  he  soon  wearied  of  reading  and  turning 
pages,  and  sat  back  in  his  chair.  A  quarter  of  an  hour 
later  it  occurred  to  him  that  so  courteous  a  man  as  Herr 
Kartolen  could  only  have  one  reason  for  keeping  him 
waiting  so  long,  and  that  would  be  urgent  business. 
He  had  been  inconsiderate,  he  reflected,  in  calling  at 
such  an  hour;  and  he  got  to  his  feet  resolved  to  leave 
a  message  with  the  clerk  and  take  his  leave. 

He  opened  the  door  and  looked  out.  There  was 
only  a  pin  of  light  in  the  hall,  and  apparently  the  clerk 
had  closed  the  door  of  his  room.  Temple  steered  his  way 
in  the  twilight  in  search  of  it.  It  was,  he  remembered, 
upon  the  other  side.  Then  he  caught  a  gleam  of  light 
under  a  door.  He  had  not  thought  the  office  so  far  down 
the  hall,  but  the  uncertainty  of  the  twilight  had  put 
him  out.  He  stepped  across  to  it,  and  obeying  an  im- 
pulse natural  enough  where  offices  and  waiting-rooms  are 
concerned,  turned  the  handle  without  knocking,  and 
stood  in  the  open  doorway. 

To  his  surprise  and  dismay  it  was  not  the  clerk's 
office.  It  was  a  room  of  moderate  size,  with  a  table  in 
the  middle,  upon  which  a  lowered  gas-jet,  heavily 
shaded,  flung  a  brilliant  light,  leaving  the  outer  parts 
of  the  chamber  in  comparative  darkness.  At  the  table 
sat  three  men,  who  were  now  staring  up  at  him  through 
the  wall  of  gloom  which  lay  between.  The  faces  all 
took  the  light  and  stood  out  boldly,  and  two  of  them 
were  familiar  to  Temple,  Herr  Kartolen's  and  that  of 
Baron  Favrinck. 

"I  beg  your  pardon  heartily,"  he  said  at  once.  "I 
have  stumbled  in  by  accident.  I  was  trying  to  find 
the  office." 

Herr    Kartolen    rose.      "Sir    Philip    Temple?"    he 


132  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

said  with  a  slight  interrogation,  but  Favrinck,  who  had 
also  risen,  pushed  his  way  to  the  door,  and  closed  it 
behind  the  Englishman.  The  action  had  in  it  something 
of  a  menace.  The  third  man  sat  still  at  the  table,  looking 
inquiringly  on.  Herr  Kartolen  spoke  earnestly  to  the 
Baron. 

"  We  can't  take  risks,"  growled  the  latter.  "  I  begin 
to  doubt  your  theory.  Anyway  the  short  way's  the 
best  way." 

Sir  Philip  looked  at  both  men  quietly.  He  knew 
what  was  in  progress,  and  he  only  found  himself  won- 
dering curiously  what  the  commercial  traveler  did 
there. 

"  I  came,"  he  said,  speaking  very  clearly  and  evenly, 
"to  call  on  Herr  Kartolen,  whose  acquaintance  I 
made  at  Waldthal,  and  who  was  kindly  of  great  service 
to  me  there."  His  clear  eyes  passed  on  to  the  lowering 
Baron.  "This  gentleman  also  was  of  service  to  me  in 
the  same  place.  I  wished  to  tell  your  clerk,  Herr  Kar- 
tolen, that  on  further  thoughts  I  would  not  disturb 
you  to-night." 

The  man  sitting  at  the  table  gave  a  laugh  which 
drew  Temple's  attention.  He  was  slight,  of  medium 
height,  and  dark  and  quick-eyed,  and  he  seemed  quite 
young,  apparently  not  half  the  age  of  either  of  his 
companions. 

"  You  are  a  fool,  Von  Hauser,"  said  the  Baron  angrily, 
in  answer  to  whispered  remonstrances. 

"Well,  my  friend,  I  am  willing  to  answer  for  my 
folly,"  said  Herr  Kartolen  as  he  came  forward.  "Sir 
Philip,  excuse  this  little  awkwardness.  You  see,  your 
mistake,  intelligible  and  trivial  as  it  is,  has  made  both 
parties  uncomfortable." 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       133 

He  showed  his  teeth  in  his  pleasant  smile. 

"I  shall  never  forgive  myself,  Herr  Kartolen,"  said 
Temple. 

In  a  moment,  seeing  that  adroit  approach,  and  the 
ease  with  which  Favrinck  had  been  swept  aside,  he 
marveled  how  he  could  ever  have  taken  Herr  Kartolen 
for  what  he  had  professed  to  be.  He  had  no  doubt 
of  him  now,  for  his  mind  was  swift  enough  to  make 
inferences  at  a  pinch.  It  was  only  deliberate  when 
there  was  time.  Beneath  the  surface  indolence  of  his 
intellect  there  was  an  astonishing  potential  activity ;  and 
when  Philip  Temple  moved,  he  moved  with  all  his 
forces  and  without  looking  back.  He  moved  now,  with 
his  gaze  on  the  Boar  of  the  Odenstock. 

"My  blunder,"  he  said  slowly,  "has  raised  suspi- 
cions in  the  mind  of  a  gentleman  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted. I  regret  it.  Let  me  assure  him  that  I  merely 
came  to  put  a  question  to  Herr  Kartolen.  I  don't  see 
why  I  should  n't  put  it  now." 

The  young  man  at  the  table  looked  at  him  with  eager 
interest. 

"I  wish  you  would,"  he  said,  speaking  for  the  first 
time.  "  I  like  conundrums." 

"This  is  one,"  said  Temple.  "Gentlemen,  I  find 
Eisenburg  an  odd  place.  Two  of  you  can  bear  witness 
to  that.  Do  I  interest  you,  or  shall  I  go?" 

The  Baron  grumbled  under  his  breath. 

"Pray  go  on,"  said  the  young  man  at  the  table. 
"We  had  finished  our  business." 

"Let  me  take  events  seriatim  then,"  said  Temple 
genially.  "I  arrive  at  Waldthal  on  the  night  of  May 
3rd,  being,  in  fact,  a  victim  of  the  deplorable  railway 
accident.  A  few  days  afterwards  I  receive  a  telegram 


134  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

from  my  mother,  Lady  Augusta  Temple,  asking  me 
to  return  at  once.  On  doing  so  I  find  that  she  has  been 
informed  by  an  adventitious  stranger  that  I  had  been 
seriously  injured  in  the  accident.  That  stranger  I  have, 
I  think,  identified  to-day  with  a  certain  M.  Preval, 
of  Eisenburg." 

Herr  Kartolen  changed  his  position;  he  sank  into  a 
chair  by  the  full-lighted  table,  but  the  Boar  remained 
still,  a  massive  figure  between  Temple  and  the 
door. 

"On  my  return  to  Eisenburg  I  was  arrested,  as 
Herr  Kartolen  knows,  as  one  Ketschinski,  a  suspect. 
It  was  owing  to  Herr  Kartolen's  kind  offices  that  the 
British  Consul  was  informed,  and  I  made  good  my 
identity.  My  own  letters  to  various  friends  on  the 
subject  miscarried." 

He  paused.  "This  is  as  good  as  a  novel,"  com- 
mented the  young  man  at  the  table,  leaning  now  his 
chin  on  his  hands.  Herr  Kartolen's  eyes  were  as  bright 
as  a  ferret's. 

"A  few  days  after  my  release,"  pursued  Temple 
in  the  same  undramatic  voice,  "I  was  shot  at  in  the 
forest  of  Odenstock,  of  which  act  Baron  Favrinck  was 
a  witness."  He  made  another  pause.  "If  any  gentle- 
man here  can  throw  a  light  on  these  events  I  shall  be 
grateful  to  him." 

"They  bear  only  one  interpretation,"  said  Herr 
Kartolen  promptly.  "You  have  enemies." 

"I  gather  that,"  said  Temple  dryly. 

"You  wished  to  ask  me  a  question  on  this?"  in- 
quired Herr  Kartolen  softly. 

"Yes,  I  did,"  said  Temple.  "I  wanted  to  ask  who 
M.  Preval  is." 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       135 

There  was  a  momentary  silence  in  the  room,  and 
then  it  was  broken  by  Herr  Kartolen's  voice. 

"M.  Preval  is  an  agent  of  his  Excellency  the 
Chancellor." 

The  Boar  was  staring  at  them  hard  out  of  murky 
eyes,  and  the  young  man  at  the  table  showed  a  quickened 
interest  in  his  bearing, 

"Then,"  said  Philip  slowly,  "I  am  to  assume  that 
M.  Preval's  actions  are  dictated  by  the  Chancellor." 

"My  dear  sir,  not  necessarily,"  said  Herr  Kartolen 
deprecatingly.  "M.  Preval  may  speak  and  act  for 
himself.  But  he  is  intimately  connected  with  the 
government  circles." 

"He  has  appeared  twice  in  my  affairs,"  said  Tem- 
ple. "  I  want  to  know  on  whose  authority  —  his  own 
or  another's." 

"Another's,"  suddenly  said  the  young  man. 

Temple's  eyes  wheeled  round  to  him.  The  young 
man  laughed. 

"  We  are  coming  upon  further  traces  of  our  old  friend's 
hand,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  Herr  Kartolen.  "It  is 
like  him.  It  makes  him  an  interesting  antagonist. 
But  I  should  like  to  know  what  it  means." 

Favrinck's  personality  became  active  now;  it 
exhaled  and  occupied  the  room,  as  he  lumbered 
across  it. 

"  I  think  this  seance  had  better  come  to  an  end,"  he 
said  gruffly. 

"Pardon  me,"  said  Herr  Kartolen,  and  took  him 
aside. 

The  young  man  had  arisen  and  approached  the 
Englishman. 

"Your  tale  interests  me,"  he  said.    "It  is  like  medi- 


136  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

sevalism.  They  say  we  Continentals  of  this  part  live 
under  mediaeval  conditions." 

Ere  Temple  could  reply  Herr  Kartolen  was  at  his 
elbow. 

"Sir  Philip,  if  you  will  honor  me  by  waiting  a  few 
minutes,  this  time  you  shall  not  be  kept  long." 

He  passed  on  to  the  young  man,  who  nodded  to 
Temple  in  a  friendly  way,  and  they  left  the  room  in 
company  with  the  Baron.  Three  minutes  later  the 
German  returned. 

"Well,"  he  said  smilingly,  "what  do  you  think 
of  us?" 

"I  think  you  are  an  amazing  man  for  a  commercial 
traveler,"  said  Temple  dryly;  "and  I  like  your  young 
friend." 

"Ah!"  The  so-called  Herr  Kartolen  reflected. 
"You  are  a  shrewd  man,  Sir  Philip,  and  think  more 
than  you  say.  What  is  it  you  really  think?" 

"As  a  matter  of  fact  I  ought  not  to  tell  you,"  said 
the  Englishman.  "But  I  am  in  no  way  concerned  in 
your  politics,  and  I  do  not  happen  to  be  a  newspaper 
correspondent.  I  think  you  are  conspirators." 

Herr  Kartolen  laughed  appreciatively.  "I  must 
apologize,"  he  said.  "  If  one  is  a  conspirator  one  must 
not  proclaim  it  on  the  housetops.  I  am  Count  von 
Hauser,  at  your  service." 

"I  think  it  is  I  who  am  at  yours,"  said  Temple 
pleasantly.  "  I  am  in  your  debt  already." 

Count  von  Hauser  was  watching  him  thoughtfully. 
"Will  you  tell  me  one  thing?"  he  asked.  "Was  it  you 
who  was  with  the  Princess  yesterday?" 

"I  had  that  privilege." 

The  Count  nodded.     "I  had  a  vague  suspicion  of 


MR.  EDWARD  CAYMAN'S  CARD       137 

it  before.  I  guessed  it  when  I  saw  you.  I  congratulate 
you.  Those  stupid  and  drunken  fools  blundered. 
They  deserved  martial  law.  Nothing  hurts  a  cause 
like  a  bad  blunder.  It  has  been  kept  wonderfully  quiet, 
hasn't  it?" 

"  Yet  you  know,"  Temple  reminded  him. 

"I?"  He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "It  is  my  busi- 
ness." He  paused.  "The  Princess  is  charming." 
The  remark  seemed  to  Temple  to  require  no  comment. 
A  slight  smile  crept  over  the  Count's  face.  "I  have 
lived  in  England,"  he  said  with  apparent  irrelevance. 
"  My  friend  Baron  Favrinck  has  n't.  He  is  somewhat 
—  provincial  let  us  say.  You  stay  long  in  Eisenburg?" 

"I  intended  to  stay  about  a  week,"  replied  Temple. 
"I  came  here  for  the  Proclamation,  and  to  make  some 
inquiries.  Then  I  designed  to  have  a  little  shooting." 

"And  having  made  inquiries ?"  the  Count 

queried. 

"I  don't  quite  know  when  I  shall  leave,"  said 
Temple  slowly. 

There  was  a  look  of  satisfaction  in  the  Count's  eyes, 
instantly  quenched. 

"If  I  can  be  of  assistance  in  any  way,  command 
me,"  he  said  politely. 

Temple  thanked  him,  and  shortly  afterwards  they 
parted.  It  was  a  beautiful  night  of  stars  and  spring 
breezes;  and  he  stood  in  the  doorway  of  his  hotel  to 
admire  it  ere  he  entered.  While  he  was  there  a  figure 
passed  along  the  pavement,  and  the  lights  of  the 
hotel  fell  on  it.  He  recognized  little  Kuss. 


CHAPTER  X 

TENNIS   AND   TEA 

SIR  PHILIP  TEMPLE  turned  over  the  letters 
which  arrived  with  his  coffee.  It  appeared  to 
him  that  each  one  of  them  had  been  opened  and  re- 
stuck,  except  the  one  that  bore  the  seal.  He  had  ex- 
amined them  before  opening  in  order  to  make  sure.  It 
was  the  sealed  letter  which  he  opened  first,  and  which 
gave  him  his  surprise.  It  was  in  the  hand  of  the  Prin- 
cess Regent,  and  was  a  friendly  and  informal  invitation. 

"  DEAR  SIR  PHILIP  TEMPLE, — 

"  If  you  are  at  liberty  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  can  come 
and  drink  tea  at  the  Palace  to-morrow  afternoon. 
"Yours  sincerely, 

ALISE  OP  ASTRA." 

There  was  about  this  invitation  a  charming  renun- 
ciation, an  abdication,  of  rank  that  raised  a  pleasant 
glow  in  Temple's  breast.  It  was  the  act  of  a  girl  who 
felt  herself  under  obligations  to  a  stranger,  and  desired 
to  meet  them  frankly  and  graciously.  And  reading 
it,  Temple  conjured  up  in  his  mental  vision,  not  the 
Princess  Regent  of  unknown  and  awesome  powers, 
but  a  fair,  bronze-haired  girl,  of  a  slim  body,  and  a  face 
of  moving  beauty.  He  saw  her  in  the  dim  twilight  of 
the  wharf  seated  upon  a  packing-case;  and  he  saw 
her  with  the  full  flood  of  the  daylight  upon  her  face 


TENNIS  AND  TEA  139 

after  the  opening  of  the  shutters,  a  little  pale,  a  little 
frightened,  tenacious,  and  proud,  and  tremulous,  and 
trusting. 

He  was  glad  that  she  did  not  spoil  this  view  of  her 
that  afternoon.  Often  afterwards  he  looked  back  on 
that  visit,  endeavoring  to  analyze  the  constituents  of 
their  relations.  Princess  Alise  had  received  him  on 
the  lawn,  to  which  a  servant  had  guided  him,  and,  racket 
in  one  hand,  had  offered  him  her  other  in  the  frankest 
way.  She  was  clad,  of  course,  in  mourning  black  for 
her  sister,  which  served  to  emphasize  the  slenderness 
that  was  the  property  of  girlhood.  Temple  speculated 
on  her  age,  even  as  he  greeted  her.  She  could  not  be 
more  than  five-and-twenty,  and  for  a  Continental  she 
was  over-young  in  appearance  for  that.  But  Astra 
was  a  State  of  mixed  blood,  of  racial  affinities  with  the 
north.  Alise  was  certainly  not  German  in  any  par- 
ticular, nor  yet  Latin.  She  baffled  him;  and  she  re- 
ceived him  as  a  young  hostess  in  England  would  have 
received  her  equal.  Looking  back  later,  when  he  was 
in  his  hotel  that  night,  as  well  as  still  later,  when  stranger 
things  had  happened,  he  could  not  remember  having 
once  addressed  her  in  the  style  of  "Your  Highness." 
It  was,  perhaps,  because  he  thought  of  her  now  always 
as  what  she  had  seemed  during  that  exciting  escape, 
and  as  what  she  had  appeared  in  her  address.  She  had 
received  him  as  a  lady,  as  one  possibly  glad  to  be  able 
to  lay  aside  the  formalities  and  conventions  which 
necessarily  beset  her  relations  with  Eisenburgers. 

The  tall,  smiling,  broad-faced,  but  comely  girl  on 
the  other  side  of  the  tennis-net  was  called  into  their 
company.  Temple  was  interested  to  find  she  was 
Gertrude  Cavari,  daughter  of  the  Chancellor.  The 


140  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Princess  had  that  fluency  of  manner  that  can  achieve 
anything  in  society. 

"I'm  sorry,  Truda,"  she  said  in  English,  "Sir  Philip 
intervenes  to  rob  you  of  victory.  We  must  resume  this 
duel  another  time." 

There  was  no  princely  stiffness  about  her;  she  moved 
as  a  human  woman,  confident  in  herself. 

"I  should  like  to  see  the  duel,"  said  Temple, 
smiling. 

Alise  sighed.  "Ah,"  she  said,  "and  I  hoped  you 
had  rescued  me."  Her  glance  had  rested  on  him  as 
she  spoke  in  the  ordinary  way  of  one  who  speaks  to 
another,  had  rested  and  floated  away.  Then  swiftly 
it  came  back,  as  if  she  had  suddenly  remembered  some- 
thing. Temple  knew  what  she  had  remembered  — 
that  he  had  rescued  her  once  before. 

"I  am,"  he  said  mildly,  "one  of  those  who  like 
gladiatorial  shows." 

"Oh,  but,"  protested  Truda,  "we  shall  disgrace 
ourselves.  England 's  the  home  of  tennis." 

"Which  is  why,"  he  remarked  lightly,  "an  English- 
man should  be  in  a  position  to  appreciate  prowess 
on  the  field." 

The  Princess  laughed.  "Play,  Truda,"  she  called, 
with  a  ball  in  her  hand  and  the  sunlight  on  her  face. 
The  bump  and  swish  of  the  balls  on  the  rackets  ensued 
for  some  time  in  the  intervening  silence.  The  Princess 
in  changing  courts  between  the  services  talked  to 
Temple,  usually  without  looking  at  him ;  and  he  found 
it  very  pleasant  there  in  the  warm  sun,  seated  on  his 
chair,  with  two  graceful  forms  constantly  moving  in  the 
field  of  his  vision. 

"There,  Truda,  you've  done  it!"    exclaimed  Alise 


TENNIS  AND  TEA  141 

at  last.  "  And  you  have  the  extra  satisfaction  of  having 
a  witness  to  my  defeat." 

Truda  smilingly  acknowledged  her  victory,  com- 
ing forward  with  ruffled  hair,  but  the  Princess  remained 
as  neat  as  in  the  beginning.  She  was  flushed  from  her 
physical  exertions,  as  she  gave  her  orders  to  the  ser- 
vants who  were  arriving  with  the  tea. 

"I  learned  this  habit,"  she  said,  as  she  flung  herself 
into  a  garden  chair  in  the  shade,  "when  I  was  quite  a 
little  girl  —  thirteen,  I  suppose  —  in  England,  and  it 
has  always  appealed  to  me  since  as  something  essen- 
tially romantic.  This  tea  on  the  lawn,  and  the  river 
life  —  I  don't  know  why  they  engage  one's  feelings 
so,  but  they  do." 

"You  were  in  England?"  he  said,  interested. 

"As  a  girl.  I  was  in  London,  and  then  in  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  and  Wales,  and  elsewhere.  It  was  when  I 
was  staying  at  Baystead  with  the  Duke  of  Collingham 
that  I  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  English  sum- 
mer and  the  English  garden." 

"The  Duke  of  Collingham!"  ejaculated  Temple. 

"Yes."  She  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then  added: 
"I've  never  seen  him  since,  but  I  remember  him  as 
a  very  kind,  stately  old  man.  It  was  terrible  that  he 
should  lose  his  son  in  that  way." 

Temple  was  puzzled  for  the  moment,  and  then  his 
mind  made  the  necessary  connections.  Lord  Stroud, 
who  had  perished  in  the  railway  accident,  had,  of 
course,  been  the  Duke's  son.  He  remembered  that 
his  mother  had  spoken  of  it.  Somehow  that  fact 
and  the  fact  of  the  Princess's  acquaintance  with  the 
family  compressed  them  suddenly  all  into  a  closer 
relationship. 


144  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

the  Long  Gallery  in  the  Palace,  as  good  a  collection  of 
pictures  as  is  in  Europe,  they  say.  The  Grand  Duke 
Louis  XXII  was  a  famous  collector." 

"Thank  you,"  he  said.  "I  probably  shall  be  in 
Eisenburg  for  some  little  time  longer.  I  should  much 
like  to  see  the  collection." 

The  Count  accompanied  him  back  to  the  Palace, 
chatting  in  an  amiable  way.  It  was  not  until  they  had 
penetrated  the  building  that  his  manner  underwent  a 
slight  change. 

"  Would  you  be  so  good  as  to  spare  me  five  minutes, 
Sir  Philip?"  he  asked,  and  his  gesture  indicated  the 
door  of  a  room. 

Temple  entered  without  answer.  He  felt  that  there 
was  something  between  the  Chancellor  and  himself 
that  required  investigation;  he  was  on  his. guard,  and 
watchful. 

The  room  was  evidently  used  officially,  and  the 
Chancellor  politely  offered  his  visitor  a  chair. 

"The  government,  Sir  Philip,"  he  began  in  his  cold 
way,  "is  indebted  to  you  for  your  action  in  regard  to 
the  Princess  Regent  the  other  day.  It  undoubtedly 
saved  her  Highness  from  an  objectionable  position." 

Temple  bowed;  he  had  no  wish  to  be  thanked  by 
Count  Cavari  after  receiving  the  Princess's  thanks. 

"I  understood  you  to  say,"  proceeded  his  Excel- 
lency after  a  pause,  "that  you  were  staying  in  Eisen- 
burg for  some  time  longer.  Perhaps  you  will  consider 
I  have  no  right  to  interfere  with  your  movements. 
But  I  ask  you  to  believe  that  it  is  entirely  in  your 
own  interest  that  I  advise  you  to  reconsider  that 
determination." 

"You   mean,"   said   the   Englishman   bluntly," that 


TENNIS  AND  TEA  145 

you  would  advise  me  to  leave  Eisenburg.  May  I  ask 
why?" 

The  Chancellor  took  up  a  sheet  of  paper,  examined 
it,  and  set  it  down  again. 

"Obviously  you  have  the  right,  though  I  thought 
the  explanation  might  have  been  unnecessary.  You 
are  aware,  Sir  Philip,  even  in  your  brief  sojourn  among 
us,  that  there  is  a  certain  division  of  opinion  politically 
in  the  grand-duchy." 

"I  have  gathered  so,"  said  Temple  dryly. 

"  Certain  classes,  certain  sections  of  classes  rather, 
are  unfavorable  to  the  government.  These  disaf- 
fected people  look  elsewhere  for  a  leader,  look  in  fact 
outside  the  pale  of  the  grand-duchy,  abetted  in  quarters 
that  are  well  known.  It  is,  in  a  word,  a  matter  perilously 
near  high  treason." 

He  paused,  as  if  he  wished  his  slow,  momentous 
sentences  to  sink  into  this  young  man's  mind. 

"In  such  a  case,"  ventured  Temple,  almost  with 
indifference,  "you,  I  take  it,  could  act.  But  I  fail  to 
see  how  all  this  concerns  me  and  my  movements." 

The  Chancellor's  gray  eyebrows  contracted  sud- 
denly; it  was  evident  he  was  of  an  imperious 
temperament. 

"It  concerns  you  in  this  way,  sir,"  he  said  sharply, 
"that  you  would  be  wiser  to  choose  your  company 
more  carefully,  or  to  leave  the  grand-duchy." 

Sir  Philip  meditated,  turning  over  in  his  mind  the 
occasions  of  his  fellowship  with  people  since  his  ar- 
rival in  Eisenburg.  The  Chancellor's  advice,  although 
it  had  by  its  tone  taken  the  form  of  a  rebuke,  seemed 
sincere  and  even  disinterested  on  the  surface.  His 
flying  thoughts  (for  he  thought  more  swiftly  than  he 


144  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

the  Long  Gallery  in  the  Palace,  as  good  a  collection  of 
pictures  as  is  in  Europe,  they  say.  The  Grand  Duke 
Louis  XXII  was  a  famous  collector." 

"Thank  you,"  he  said.  "I  probably  shall  be  in 
Eisenburg  for  some  little  time  longer.  I  should  much 
like  to  see  the  collection." 

The  Count  accompanied  him  back  to  the  Palace, 
chatting  in  an  amiable  way.  It  was  not  until  they  had 
penetrated  the  building  that  his  manner  underwent  a 
slight  change. 

"  Would  you  be  so  good  as  to  spare  me  five  minutes, 
Sir  Philip?"  he  asked,  and  his  gesture  indicated  the 
door  of  a  room. 

Temple  entered  without  answer.  He  felt  that  there 
was  something  between  the  Chancellor  and  himself 
that  required  investigation;  he  was  on  his. guard,  and 
watchful. 

The  room  was  evidently  used  officially,  and  the 
Chancellor  politely  offered  his  visitor  a  chair. 

"The  government,  Sir  Philip,"  he  began  in  his  cold 
way,  "is  indebted  to  you  for  your  action  in  regard  to 
the  Princess  Regent  the  other  day.  It  undoubtedly 
saved  her  Highness  from  an  objectionable  position." 

Temple  bowed;  he  had  no  wish  to  be  thanked  by 
Count  Cavari  after  receiving  the  Princess's  thanks. 

"I  understood  you  to  say,"  proceeded  his  Excel- 
lency after  a  pause,  "that  you  were  staying  in  Eisen- 
burg for  some  time  longer.  Perhaps  you  will  consider 
I  have  no  right  to  interfere  with  your  movements. 
But  I  ask  you  to  believe  that  it  is  entirely  in  your 
own  interest  that  I  advise  you  to  reconsider  that 
determination . ' ' 

"You   mean,"   said   the  Englishman   bluntly," that 


TENNIS  AND  TEA  145 

you  would  advise  me  to  leave  Eisenburg.  May  I  ask 
why?" 

The  Chancellor  took  up  a  sheet  of  paper,  examined 
it,  and  set  it  down  again. 

"Obviously  you  have  the  right,  though  I  thought 
the  explanation  might  have  been  unnecessary.  You 
are  aware,  Sir  Philip,  even  in  your  brief  sojourn  among 
us,  that  there  is  a  certain  division  of  opinion  politically 
in  the  grand-duchy." 

"I  have  gathered  so,"  said  Temple  dryly. 

"  Certain  classes,  certain  sections  of  classes  rather, 
are  unfavorable  to  the  government.  These  disaf- 
fected people  look  elsewhere  for  a  leader,  look  in  fact 
outside  the  pale  of  the  grand-duchy,  abetted  in  quarters 
that  are  well  known.  It  is,  in  a  word,  a  matter  perilously 
near  high  treason." 

He  paused,  as  if  he  wished  his  slow,  momentous 
sentences  to  sink  into  this  young  man's  mind. 

"In  such  a  case,"  ventured  Temple,  almost  with 
indifference,  "you,  I  take  it,  could  act.  But  I  fail  to 
see  how  all  this  concerns  me  and  my  movements." 

The  Chancellor's  gray  eyebrows  contracted  sud- 
denly; it  was  evident  he  was  of  an  imperious 
temperament. 

"It  concerns  you  in  this  way,  sir,"  he  said  sharply, 
"that  you  would  be  wiser  to  choose  your  company 
more  carefully,  or  to  leave  the  grand-duchy." 

Sir  Philip  meditated,  turning  over  in  his  mind  the 
occasions  of  his  fellowship  with  people  since  his  ar- 
rival in  Eisenburg.  The  Chancellor's  advice,  although 
it  had  by  its  tone  taken  the  form  of  a  rebuke,  seemed 
sincere  and  even  disinterested  on  the  surface.  His 
flying  thoughts  (for  he  thought  more  swiftly  than  he 


146  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

spoke  or  acted)  embraced  his  experiences  at  Waldthal, 
traveled  along  his  sundry  acquaintances,  and  finally 
landed  on  Von  Hauser  and  the  Boar. 

"  I  am  not  aware  of  keeping  bad  company,"  he  said 
slowly,  "but  if  I  do,  I  assure  you,  Count  Cavari,  that 
I  have  no  arriere-pensee  in  doing  so.  The  politics  of 
the  grand-duchy  are  no  affair  of  mine." 

"I  am  glad  to  have  that  assurance,"  said  the  Chan- 
cellor shortly.  "Yes,  it  is  unfortunate  that  you  have 
been  the  occasion  of  natural  suspicion.  You  know  a 
certain  Count  von  Hauser  who  passes  by  the  name  of 
Kartolen?" 

Temple  assented.  "He  was  kind  enough  to  assist 
me  by  communicating  with  the  British  Consul  when 
my  own  letter  miscarried,"  he  said. 

He  thought  the  Chancellor  started  ever  so  slightly; 
but  his  reply  was  hardly  delayed  a  moment. 

"Sir  Philip,  I  am  going  to  be  very  frank  with  you. 
Last  night  you  were  seen  to  enter  a  house  in  which  it 
is  known  to  us  that  certain  disaffected  people  meet. 
You  were  there  for  fully  an  hour,  and  you  were  accom- 
panied to  the  door  by  one  of  the  suspects." 

"You  are  well  informed,"  said  the  Englishman  with 
a  smile.  "  But  I  assure  you  you  're  at  unnecessary 
pains  in  watching  my  movements." 

The  Chancellor  appeared  to  lose  patience.  "A 
conspiracy  is  being  hatched  against  the  government," 
he  said,  "  and  you  were  present  at  it.  Do  you  tell  me 
you  don't  know  who  your  associates  were?" 

"Two  of  them,"  said  Temple  reflectively,  "be- 
friended me  when  I  was  in  need  of  help.  The  third " 

"What  of  the  third?"  interjected  the  Chancellor 
eagerly. 

\ 


TENNIS  AND  TEA  147 

"I  am  quite  unacquainted  with,"  ended  Temple. 

"Pshaw!"  The  Chancellor  put  down  the  gold 
pencil  with  which  he  had  been  fidgeting.  "What  is 
the  use  of  beating  about  the  bush?  We  have  reason 
to  know  who  the  third  was.  And  that  is  why  I  warn 
you,"  he  went  on  with  an  autocratic  note  in  his  voice. 
"It  is  folly  that  you,  a  stranger,  should  become  mixed 
up  in  these  things  —  however  innocently  —  which  is  why 
I  ventured  to  suggest  your  withdrawal  from  the  scene." 

"I  wish  I  could  convince  you,"  said  Temple  in  his 
easy  and  almost  lazy  voice,  "  how  little  I  am  concerned 
with  your  politics  in  Eisenburg.  I  am  here  amusing 
myself,  entertaining  myself,  and  even  interesting  my- 
self, by  observing  all  that  goes  on  in  what  is  to  me  an 
unknown  country.  But  what  happens  here  is  no  con- 
cern of  mine.  I  am  merely  an  occupier  of  the  stalls." 

Count  Cavari  searched  him.  He  had  no  real  under- 
standing of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  any  more  than  Baron 
Favrinck  had.  On  the  other  hand,  Count  von  Hauser 
had  a  full  comprehension  of  the  racial  type.  He  did 
not  credit  an  avowal  of  this  sort,  but  he  did  not  see  how 
to  controvert  it.  He  came  back  to  another  voice. 

"I  think,  Sir  Philip,"  he  said,  "that  we  are  rather 
at  loggerheads  just  now.  Perhaps  it  is  my  fault.  If  I 
say  to  you  that  it  would  be  advisable,  not  only  in  your 
own  interest  but  in  that  of  the  grand-duchy,  that  you 
should  go,  will  you  do  so?" 

Temple  was  silent  for  a  perceptible  space  of  time. 
"  I  don't  think  so,"  he  said  at  last,  "  not  after  the  state- 
ment I  have  made!" 

"You  will  understand,"  said  the  Chancellor  quietly, 
"that  suspects  are  always  liable  to  operations  against 
them." 


148  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Temple  stretched  his  legs,  recrossed  them,  and 
laughed.  "I  seem,  then,"  he  said,  "to  have  been  a 
suspect  for  some  time." 

"How  do  you  mean?"  The  Chancellor  contracted 
his  gray  eyebrows. 

"I  have  been  the  victim  of  two  unlucky  accidents, 
which  threatened  in  one  case  my  liberty,  in  the  other 
my  life.  One  I  believe  you  may  recall  —  the  affair 
of  the  man  Ketschinski." 

"I  remember.  I  greatly  regret  the  blunder,"  said 
the  Count  politely. 

"The  other,  an  attempt  upon  my  life,  took  place  in 
the  Odenstock." 

"Indeed!  It  is  monstrous."  He  paused.  "Eisen- 
burg  does  not  appear  safe  for  you,  or  healthy,  Sir  Philip. 
On  reconsideration,  would  it  not  be  better  to  go?" 

"I  think  not."  Temple's  slow  words  dropped  from 
his  lips  with  measured  force. 

The  Chancellor  rose.  "I  am  unfortunate  in  not 
being  able  to  persuade  you  what  is  best  for  yourself 
as  well  as  others,"  he  said  in  a  brisk,  business-like 
voice.  "Well,  you  came  as  a  guest,  sir,  and  you  shall 
go  as  one." 

It  seemed  as  if  he  would  have  put  out  his  hand,  but 
Philip  said  quietly: 

"  Not  as  a  guest,  Count,  but  as  a  suspect.  No,  you 
do  not  shake  hands  with  suspects,  or  prisoners  at  the 
bar.  When  I  entered  this  room  it  appears  it  was  as  a 
defendant.  I  leave  it  as  such." 

He  bowed,  and  the  Chancellor  stiffly  returned  his 
bow  as  Temple  turned  away.  On  the  minds  of  both 
was  the  same  impression,  definitely  registered  —  that 
it  was  War. 


CHAPTER  XI 

SOME   INTRIGUES 

IT  was  no  business  of  his,  Temple  reflected,  whether 
the  Chancellor  knew  of  the  secret  conclave  in 
Herr  Kartolen's  rooms  or  not;  and  by  similar  reckon- 
ing he  saw  no  reason  for  communicating  to  the  con- 
spirators the  Chancellor's  knowledge  of  them.  On 
thinking  it  over  he  drew  the  inevitable  inference  that 
the  Count  had  only  let  him  into  his  knowledge  because 
he  thought  it  known  to  him  already.  But  he  was  per- 
plexed altogether  by  dates.  If  the  Chancellor  had  only 
just  discovered  him  (as  he  imagined)  to  be  dangerous, 
why  had  the  persecution  begun  before,  almost  immedi- 
ately after  his  arrival  at  Waldthal  ?  He  could  only  as- 
sume, as  he  had  already  assumed,  that  suspicion  had 
attached  to  him  from  the  outset.  Did  the  Chancellor 
imagine  he  had  gained  entrance  to  the  Castle  at  Waldthal 
as  an  emissary  of  the  conspirators  ?  Surely  it  was  im- 
possible that  he  should  be  served  so  badly  by  his  spies, 
and  moreover  the  railway  accident  furnished  the  Eng- 
lishman's bona  fides.  But  stay !  Was  it  not  conceivable 
that  a  partisan  of  the  German  Albrecht  should  take 
advantage  of  the  disaster  in  order  to  gain  admission 
to  the  Castle  on  such  a  fateful  night  ?  If  that  were  the 
Chancellor's  suspicion,  it  would  account  for  everything. 
Yet  it  seemed  to  him,  looking  at  it  in  the  white  light  of 
reason,  that  a  suspicion  of  so  grotesque  a  character 
argued  a  certain  lack  of  balance,  which  he  assuredly 


150  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

would  never  have  attributed  to  the  Chancellor,  an 
obviously  able,  cool,  and  diligent  statesman. 

It  did  not  cost  Temple  much  to  leave  the  puzzle  with- 
out solution ;  he  was  always  master  of  his  own  mind,  and 
never  worried  about  things  that  would  keep.  The  prob- 
lem, which  had  begun  to  fascinate  him,  would  keep,  as 
also  would  that  other  problem  as  to  the  identity  of  the 
unfortunate  woman  who  had  died  in  Waldthal  Castle. 
But  it  was  some  time  since  he  had  moved  in  the  latter 
question,  and  so  he  made  another  attempt.  He  drew 
up  an  advertisement  in  somewhat  different  terms  in- 
viting information  as  to  any  lady  of  an  estimated  age 
of  five-and-twenty  who  had  been  traveling  on  the  Conti- 
nent during  certain  days  in  May,  "  probably  from  France 
to  Germany,"  and  was  missing.  He  copied  this  out 
several  times  and  sent  it  with  the  necessary  remittances 
to  sundry  newspapers  in  London  and  New  York.  Then 
he  looked  about  him  for  means  of  diversion. 

In  this  connection  he  suddenly  remembered  Baron 
Favrinck,  and  his  bluff  invitation.  He  smiled  as  he 
recalled  their  next  meeting,  and  he  wondered  if  the 
Baron  had  eliminated  his  distrust.  Anyway,  he  was 
not  dependent  on  invitations  or  on  any  hospitality  but 
his  own.  The  Odenstock  was  open  to  him  for  the  most 
part,  and  there  were  also  the  southerly  and  northerly 
districts  of  the  grand-duchy  to  explore.  Temple  did 
not  ignore  the  possibility  that  the  Chancellor  might 
take  action  against  him.  The  latter  believed  him  to 
be  concerned  in  the  political  conspiracy  against  the 
dynasty,  and  had  frankly  revealed  his  suspicion.  Tem- 
ple wondered  if  Count  Cavari  was  wise  in  doing  so. 
He  struck  him  as  a  diplomat  of  an  unusual  kind;  in 
fact,  he  puzzled  him.  But  Temple  was  not  going  to 


SOME  INTRIGUES  151 

yield  and  tamely  leave  the  country  at  the  bidding  of  an 
autocrat.  For  a  long  time  the  slow  tide  of  his  feeling  had 
been  rising,  and  he  was  now  an  obstinate  and  determined 
man,  with  a  rather  easy  and  good-natured  countenance. 

A  day  or  two  later  he  had  just  lunched  in  his  pleasant 
room  overlooking  the  lower  portion  of  the  Platz  when 
he  espied  the  huge  form  of  Baron  Favrinck  as  it  were 
boring  its  way  to  the  hotel.  Not  any  regnant  prince 
walked  the  street  with  such  remoteness  and  assurance. 
He  entered  the  hotel,  and  after  a  delay  of  a  few  minutes 
a  waiter  knocked  on  Temple's  door. 

"Yes,  I  will  see  Baron  Favrinck.  Show  him  up. 
And  you  may  clear." 

He  had  known  in  his  heart  that  the  Boar  had  come 
to  see  him,  and  he  was  prepared  for  a  blunt  and  charac- 
teristic opening.  But  the  Baron  surprised  him.  His 
heavy  face  wore  even  an  aspect  of  good  cheer,  and  he 
was  obligingly  civil. 

"I  was  intending  to  ask  you  to  lunch  with  me,"  he 
said,  "  but  I  see  you  are  early,  or  I  am  belated.  Never 
mind.  Another  time  will  do." 

Temple  avowed  his  obligations. 

"You  have  not  taken  advantage  of  my  sporting 
invitation  in  the  Odenstock,  Sir  Philip,"  he  went  on 
with  a  broad  and  clumsy  smile. 

"  It  has  been  and  is  my  hope  to  do  so,"  said  the  young 
man. 

"There  is  some  good  sport  to  be  had,"  remarked 
the  Baron.  "The  fishing  is  excellent  in  some  of  the 
streams;  and  there  is  shooting"  —his  face  took  on  a 
grim  expression  —  "  boars  among  other  things." 

He  laughed.  "I  never  had  the  chance  of  hunting 
boars,"  said  Philip,  in  his  level  voice. 


152  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Favrinck  turned  his  somber  eyes  upon  him. 
"Humph!"  he  grunted.  "The  sport  is  dying  out  in 
these  parts.  But  there  are  opportunities.  I  dare  say 
we  could  find  one  for  you." 

"I  shall  be  delighted,"  murmured  Temple,  wonder- 
ing if  any  inner  significance  attached  to  these  ominous 
remarks. 

"You  have  probably  seen  all  you  want  of  Eisenburg," 
suggested  the  Baron. 

"  Yes  —  no,"  amended  Temple,  remembering  the 
hint  of  a  return  to  the  Palace  thrown  out  by  the  Prin- 
cess. "  I  may  be  here  for  a  few  days  still." 

The  Baron  scowled  at  the  window.  "  Herr  Kartolen 
has  told  me  the  story  of  your  experiences  at  the  Castle 
of  Waldthal,"  he  said. 

"Herr  Kartolen" — Temple  lingered  a  little  over 
the  name  — "was  good  to  me,  good  at  need." 

He  was,  it  seemed,  a  singularly  uncommunicative 
young  man,  and  the  Baron's  gracious  expression  had 
long  since  faded  from  his  face.  When  he  departed  his 
scowl  was  fixed.  Yet  he  had  found  out  what  he  wanted, 
or  thought  he  had.  He  went  from  the  hotel  direct  to 
Herr  Kartolen's  rooms,  and  was  for  some  time  closeted 
with  his  associate. 

"I  had  my  doubts,  Von  Hauser,"  he  said,  shaking 
a  big  hand  in  emphasis.  "Now  I  am  sure.  This 
Englishman  of  yours  is  not  what  he  pretends  to  be." 

"What  does  he  pretend  to  be?"  asked  Von  Hauser 
suavely. 

"Bah!  You  know  what  I  mean.  Why  equivocate 
and  jest  on  a  serious  matter  ?  I  tell  you  there  is  danger 
from  him.  His  entrance  into  the  grand-duchy  was 
dramatically  contrived,  and  care  was  taken  to  throw 


SOME  INTRIGUES  153 

every  suspicion  upon  him  as  inimical  to  the  govern- 
ment. It  was  cleverly  managed,  I  grant  you.  But 
what  happens?  He  sloughs  the  skin  of  the  fox  at  the 
first  touch  of  necessity.  There  was  the  affair  of  the 
Princess  and  Bleiber,  that  stupid  business.  But  he 
takes  a  hand  in  it.  And  he  was  silent  over  his  visit  to 
the  Palace  the  other  day." 

"Why  not?"  inquired  Von  Hauser.  "One  does  not 
invariably  communicate  all  one's  movements  to  chance 
acquaintances." 

"I  gave  him  every  opportunity,"  growled  Favrinck. 

"You  forget  he  is  English,"  said  Von  Hauser,  who, 
as  has  been  said,  knew  England  very  well. 

"Recollect,"  said  the  Baron  vehemently,  "that  he 
blundered,  as  he  called  it,  on  our  meeting,  and  from 
there  goes  straight  to  the  Palace." 

"Probably  to  be  thanked,"  put  in  the  Count. 

"To  report!"  thundered  the  Boar.  "He  probably 
knows  the  identity  of  those  who  sat  here." 

"He  certainly  knows  mine,  for  I  told  him,"  said 
Von  Hauser. 

The  Baron  gasped  in  amazement.  "You  told  him !" 
he  echoed,  "  and  —  and " 

Von  Hauser  shook  his  head.  "No,"  he  said  softly. 
"I  believe  in  only  admitting  as  much  as  any  one  may 
possibly  know.  To  acknowledge  a  certain  portion 
of  the  truth  frankly,  and  apparently  without  necessity, 
convinces  that  there  is  nothing  else  in  reserve.  Besides, 
I  have,  as  I  have  told  you,  a  notion  that  this  young  man 
may  be  useful.  Let  us  wait." 

"  If  he  has  reported  our  proceedings  to  Cavari " 

began  the  Baron  moodily. 

"We  should  have  been  arrested.     So  it  is  plain  he 


154  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

has  n't,"  interposed  Von  Hauser  briskly.  He  pushed 
the  paper  which  had  lain  before  him  across  to  his  com- 
panion. "  Tell  me  what  you  make  of  that,"  he  invited. 

Baron  Favrinck  looked,  but  his  face  gave  no  sign  of 
intelligence. 

"The  London  Times!"  he  said.  "What  is  it? 
Ah,  Sir  Philip  —  He  read,  and  handed  the  paper 

back  to  Von  Hauser.  "  I  don't  understand,"  he  said 
heavily. 

"Sir  Philip  Temple  advertises  for  information  con- 
cerning a  woman  who  died  as  a  result  of  the  railway 
accident,"  said  Von  Hauser. 

"I  don't  understand,"  said  the  Baron,  frowning 
deeply.  "There  is  too  much  mystery  here,  I  suspect." 

"I  agree  that  there  is  a  mystery,"  said  Von  Hauser, 
"  but,  as  far  as  Sir  Philip  is  concerned,  the  explanation 
is  easy.  His  advertisement  proves  his  good  faith.  It 
was  the  woman  who  died  in  Waldthal." 

"Yes,"  assented  the  Baron.     "But  who  was  she?" 

"Precisely  what  Sir  Philip  Temple  is  anxious  to 
discover,"  replied  his  companion  with  a  smile.  "And 
I  think  it  probable  he  will ;  he  is  a  very  obdurate  young 
man." 

"I  don't  trust  him,"  said  Favrinck  shortly.  "How 
do  we  know  what  this  woman  has  to  do  with  it  all  ?" 

"My  dear  Baron,  we  know  nothing.  I  wish  we  did. 
Still,  it  will  be  interesting  finding  out." 

"I  prefer  shorter  and  rougher  ways,"  growled  the 
Boar. 

"  If  you  had  your  way,  Baron,"  said  Von  Hauser  with 
amusement,  "we  should  have  the  Middle  Ages  rein- 
carnate again." 

"I  believe  in  short  ways,"  growled  the  Baron.    "If 


SOME  INTRIGUES  155 

a  man  seems  dangerous  I  mark  him ;  if  he  proves  dan- 
gerous I " 

Von  Hauser  leaned  suddenly  over  to  him.  "Why 
did  you  visit  Temple  to-day?"  he  asked. 

"I  wanted  to  invite  him  to  the  Odenstock,"  said 
Favrinck,  a  grim  smile  lighting  his  face.  "He  has 
my  permission  to  go  fishing  and  shooting  there." 

The  Count  regarded  his  companion  musingly,  and 
then  an  expression  of  some  contempt  passed  over  his 
face.  "What  is  there  to  shoot?"  he  asked. 

"There  used  to  be  wolves,"  said  the  Baron,  with  a 
sly  look  of  humor. 

"  But  now  there  is  nothing  but "  Von  Hauser 

hesitated. 

"Boars!"  roared  Favrinck,  bellowing  his  laughter. 
"Don't  falter,  don't  mince  words.  He  shall  have  a 
boar  hunt  if  he  will." 

Von  Hauser  did  not  respond  to  the  laugh.  "This 
man,"  he  said  with  a  certain  gravity,  "is  obnoxious  to 
Cavari  and  the  Regency  party.  He  is  worth  watching." 

"He  shall  be  watched,"  said  the  Baron. 

Von  Hauser  threw  up  his  hands;  the  man  was  pig- 
headed. Had  he  not  sufficiently  endangered  the  suc- 
cess of  their  plots  already?  His  influence  was  being 
purchased  at  a  huge  price.  Yet  in  the  southern  cantons 
his  name  was  almighty.  Von  Hauser  had  no  particular 
mission  to  protect  a  wandering  Englishman,  but  he  had 
what  was  almost  a  superstition  that  this  one  might  be 
serviceable.  Besides,  he  liked  him.  There  was  about 
Von  Hauser,  astute  intriguer  as  he  was,  a  certain  prim- 
itive faith  in  instinct.  He  had  an  instinct  about  the 
Englishman,  his  conduct  in  regard  to  whom  had  through- 
out been  based  largely  on  that  instinct.  The  inexpli- 


156  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

cable  hostility  of  the  Court  party  to  Temple  might 
make  him  useful  to  the  conspirators.  It  was  a  shrewd 
idea,  and  that  it  was  not  wholly  in  the  air  was  demon- 
strated at  their  next  meeting.  Von  Hauser  gave  himself 
the  pleasure  of  inviting  Sir  Philip  to  lunch  at  his  quiet 
rooms. 

"Much  better  lunch  with  me  at  my  hotel,"  suggested 
the  younger  man. 

Von  Hauser 's  smile  deprecated  the  alternative. 

"A  mere  commercial  traveler "  he  protested; 

and  suddenly  Temple  realized.  He  felt  that  he  owed 
Von  Hauser  something,  and  moreover,  he  liked  the 
man. 

"I  wonder  if  you  know,"  he  said,  "that  that  meeting 
of  yours  was  known  to  the  Chancellor,  and  that  he  is 
aware  of  your  actions?" 

"You  mean,"  said  the  Count  after  a  pause,  "that  to 
him  there  is  no  commercial  traveler?  It  seems  he  has 
an  excellent  Secret  Service.  But  it  matters  not.  Things 
go  on  all  the  same.  Yes,  it  matters  this  much,  that  I 
shall  have  the  pleasure  of  accepting  your  hospitality" 
—  he  paused  again  —  "if  you  will  repeat  it." 

"I  urge  it,"  said  the  Englishman  good-naturedly. 

"  But  if  I  am  known  - 

"My  dear  Count,"  said  Temple  lightly,  "I  am 
already  supposed  to  be  hand  in  glove  with  you.  I 
dare  say  we  are  watched  now.  As  you  say,  his  Excel- 
lency has  a  good  service  of  eyes.  Come,  let  us  give  them 
some  work  for  their  money." 

"But,  my  dear  sir,"  resumed  Von  Hauser  at  the 
luncheon  table,  "this  is  not  wise,  not  at  all  wise.  If 
you  were  a  marked  man  before,  you  are  doubly  marked 
now  —  you  are  visibly  scored  all  over." 


SOME  INTRIGUES  157 

"There  is  yourself,"  suggested  Temple. 

Von  Hauser  caressed  his  pointed  beard.  "I  wonder 
how  long  his  Excellency  has  known.  Yet  it  would  be 
foolish  to  arrest  an  unimportant  commercial  traveler, 
would  it  not  ?  His  papers  would  not  be  very  interesting 
documents,  concerned  as  they  are  with  sales  and  ac- 
counts. Besides,"  he  added  with  a  twinkle,  "there  is 
a  German  Consul  as  well  as  a  British  Consul." 

"  I  know  my  course  of  action  in  case  of  emergency," 
said  the  younger  man,  with  a  smile. 

"No,  my  dear  Sir  Philip,"  pursued  Von  Hauser,  "I 
think  on  reflection  we  may  eat  our  lunch  without  alarms 
—  at  present."  He  proceeded  to  do  so,  and  presently 
his  train  of  thought  took  him  elsewhere.  "  You  are  fond 
of  sport,  like  all  your  countrymen?  You  are  to  shoot 
in  theOdenstock?" 

"  Baron  Favrinck  has  been  good  enough  to  invite  me." 

"You  cannot  have  very  agreeable  memories  of  the 
hospitality  of  the  Odenstock,"  said  Von  Hauser  softly. 

Temple's  face  seemed  to  offer  an  inquiry. 

"Was  it  not  there  you  met  with  an  accident?" 

"It  was  there  that  Baron  Favrinck  saw,  or  thought 
he  saw,  a  man  shoot  at  me,"  agreed  the  other. 

"No,  saw,"  said  Von  Hauser.  "There  was  no  doubt 
about  it."  , 

Again  the  Englishman's  face  expressed  interrogation. 

"I  was  witness,"  said  the  Count. 

"You!" 

"Yes,  but  it  was  not  convenient  to  reveal  myself  then. 
I  was  a  commercial  traveler  only." 

"Count,  will  you  tell  me  why  you  have  revealed 
yourself  at  all?"  asked  Temple  suddenly. 

Von  Hauser  smiled  frankly.    "  Would  it  have  availed 


158  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

me  to  conceal  myself  any  longer?"  he  asked.  "It 
appears  the  Palace  knows  all  about  us." 

"  I  am  not  the  Palace,"  said  Temple  bluntly. 

"  But  you  visit  it  —  you  have  the  entree.  You  have 
the  confidence  of  the  Chancellor." 

"Yes,"  mused  Temple,  "by  a  chain  of  accidents. 
His  Excellency  has  mistaken  me  for  —  one  interested 
in  Eisenburger  politics!" 

"I  wonder!"  murmured  Von  Hauser. 

"I  am  not,"  said  Temple,  paying  no  heed  to  this. 

"I  wonder!"  again  Von  Hauser  murmured,  softer 
than  ever. 

It  was  the  contention  of  Count  Cavari,  in  his  audience 
of  the  Princess  Regent  that  afternoon,  that  Sir  Philip 
was  dangerously  interested  in  the  domestic  politics  of 
Eisenburg.  The  Princess  was  openly  incredulous,  but 
she  had  to  deal  with  a  masterful  man,  and  one  of  strong 
if  narrow  views. 

"There  is  proof  of  his  friendship  with  Baron  Fa- 
vrinck,  your  Highness,"  he  declared. 

"Why  not?  He  knows  nothing  of  us  and  our  divis- 
ions," retorted  the  Princess.  "Besides,  it  is  contrary 
to  his  action  the  other  day.  Your  Excellency  must 
have  more  serious  grounds  than  mere  suspicion  on 
which  to  base  so  grave  a  charge." 

He  had  not  conceived  that  so  strong  a  will  could  rule 
in  so  feminine  a  nature  when  he  had  urged  on  the  Council 
the  appointment  of  the  Grand  Duchess's  sister  and 
the  Grand  Duke's  aunt  as  Regent.  He  had  already 
begun  to  see  checks  threatening  his  arbitrary  authority. 
He  was  accustomed  to  decisive  action,  and  the  fact  that 
Temple  had  befriended  the  Princess  and  had  come  to 
tea  at  the  Palace  in  consequence  did  not  interfere  with 


SOME  INTRIGUES  159 

his  determination  to  get  rid  of  him.  The  defect  of  his 
Excellency  was  a  neglect  of  human  sentiment.  He 
had  at  his  disposal  means  for  abolishing  embarrassing 
strangers.  An  order  for  deportation  was  always  available 
and  it  had  the  advantages  of  being  simple  and  blood- 
less. He  moved  against  Sir  Philip  Temple  with  a  depor- 
tation order. 

Unfortunately  for  his  scheme,  the  Regent  in  an  access 
of  zeal  was  striving  to  do  her  duty.  She  had  wasted 
the  long  hours  of  one  fine  afternoon  in  the  gardens  with 
a  canvas  and  paint-box,  and  she  was  repentant.  In  a 
flurry  she  summoned  secretaries  and  officials,  and 
scrutinized  documents  which  were  to  pass  under  her 
name  on  behalf  of  the  Grand  Duke,  lying  in  his  elaborate 
cradle  "drugged  with  slumber  and  milk."  This  led  to 
the  discovery  of  the  order,  and  to  an  uncomfortable  little 
scene  later.  In  the  latter  the  Chancellor  endeavored 
to  explain  his  position,  but  he  found  himself  helpless 
before  a  mere  woman's  obstinacy. 

"I  will  not  allow  any  one  who  has  rendered  a  great 
service  to  the  State  to  be  treated  so  inhospitably  and 
unjustly,"  was  the  most  formal  repudiation  of  the  order 
to  which  she  was  able  to  attain.  Then  she  was  wholly 
human  and  personal.  "Do  you  forget  what  he  did  on 
Proclamation  Day?" 

The  Chancellor,  whose  authoritativeness  had  bent 
before  the  storm,  saw  his  opportunity. 

"I  do  not  forget,  your  Highness,"  he  said  coolly. 
"But  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  place  upon  that  action  the 
interpretation  which  your  Highness  does." 

"How  is  that?"  inquired  Alise  curiously. 

"My  information,"  said  the  Chancellor,  glad  to  have 
arrested  her,  "  is  that  this  Sir  Philip  Temple  is  involved 


160  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

with  Baron  Favrinck  and  Count  von  Hauser  and  others 
in  their  treasonable  schemes  against  the  dynasty.  He 
is  a  wandering  Englishman,  and  Englishmen  are  fond 
of  adventure.  They  look  upon  it  as  a  kind  of  sport, 
like  their  cricket  or  their  football." 

Princess  Alise  tapped  her  foot  on  the  floor  impatiently. 
This  was  not  explaining  what  interpretation  the  Chan- 
cellor put  upon  a  gallant  rescue. 

His  Excellency  noted  the  action,  and  put  an  inter- 
pretation upon  that.  He  was  not,  as  has  been  explained, 
tender  of  human  sentiment,  but  he  knew  its  symptoms. 

"On  the  assumption,"  he  went  on  equably,  "that 
this  is  true  (and  my  information  is  hardly  to  be  doubted) , 
the  presence  of  the  Englishman  in  the  crowd  and  his 
subsequent  acts  are  explicable." 

"How?"  demanded  the  Princess  plumply. 

"  It  might  be  desired  to  open  up  avenues  of  communi- 
cation with  the  Palace.  You  will  see,  your  Highness, 
how  valuable  an  ally  would  be  with  a  foot  in  both 
camps." 

For  a  moment  the  Princess  was  silent  and  still.  Then 
she  rose.  "  I  regret  that  I  cannot  authorize  the  order," 
she  said  curtly. 

She  had  thought  the  suggestion  over;  the  ingenuity 
stayed  her,  daunted  her;  and  then  she  had  swept  it 
aside  like  a  true  woman  in  favor  of  her  instinct.  Her 
rising  was  a  signal  for  the  Chancellor's  withdrawal. 
He  had  only  bowed  submissively  to  her  words,  and  he 
crossed  to  the  door.  As  he  went  out  there  was  an  odd 
set  expression  in  his  steel  eyes.  After  all,  as  has  been 
stated,  a  deportation  order  is  only  one  way,  if  it  is  the 
most  expeditious  and  least  violent. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   RESCUE 

HHEMPLE  stared  at  the  letters  before  him.  From 
A  various  signs  he  knew  that  they  had  all  been  opened 
before  they  reached  him.  He  turned  them  over:  one 
from  his  mother,  two  from  old  friends,  several  social 
invitations,  some  obviously  commercial  communica- 
tions, a  bulky  package  from  his  estate  agent,  unin- 
teresting circulars  and  bills,  advices  from  his  brokers, 
unclassed,  epistles,  and  buried  among  them  all,  but 
standing  out  by  its  very  meanness  of  appearance,  a  dirty 
envelope  inscribed  with  uneducated  writing  that  slanted 
drunkenly  towards  corners.  The  circulars  and  formal 
correspondence  had  doubtless  been  spared  the  finger 
of  the  inquisitor,  but  all  else  had  been  sacrificed.  He 
realized  now,  almost  fully,  what  it  was  to  be  a  "  suspect." 
The  mean  letter  came  in  its  turn,  an  almost  illegible, 
and  entirely  unintelligible,  communication  in  response 
to  his  advertisement.  He  had  already  had  a  repetition 
of  his  earlier  experiences,  letters  from  impostors,  letters 
from  cranks,  letters  from  persons  desirous  of  advertise- 
ment. This  one  happened  to  come  solitary  of  its  kind 
to-day,  and  he  did  not  know  precisely  how  to  class  it. 

"  Mrs.  Jane  Carver  have  seen  advertisement  in  paper 
and  she  had  a  daughter  in  service  with  her  Ladyship,  but 
has  disappeared.  Would  be  glad  to  know  where  she 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

is,  and  in  what  service,  having  lost  her  husband,  and 
being  in  poor  circumstances,  and  obliged  to  leave 
Baystead  ever  since  ..." 

It  was  not  a  crank's  letter,  but  it  looked  like  a  beg- 
ging letter.  Temple  speculated  as  to  the  unimaginable 
confusion  of  a  mind  of  which  this  could  be  the  product. 
The  gap  that  parted  the  writer  from  the  merest  clerk 
in  an  office  must  be  formidable.  He  had  never  before 
realized  so  vividly  the  value  attachable  to  the  power  of 
expression. 

No  —  he  revised  his  first  impressions  —  it  was  not 
a  begging  letter,  but  merely  a  pathetic  letter.  Mrs. 
Jane  Carver  might  have  asked  point-blank  for  assist- 
ance, but  had  abstained.  She  had  evidently  her  self- 
respect,  but  was  anxious  to  quicken  the  operations  of 
the  advertiser  who  was  to  find  her  lost  daughter.  That 
she  had  taken  for  granted  with  the  simple  faith  of  a 
child,  or  an  animal.  "Her  Ladyship !"  There  was  to 
poor  Jane  Carver  only  one  ladyship,  and  so  there  was 
no  need  to  name  her.  She  thought  and  wrote  with  all 
the  self-centered  feelings  of  the  lower  classes. 

His  eyes  dwelt  momentarily  on  the  scrawl,  disengag- 
ing a  word  —  Baystead.  Somehow  there  was  a  familiar 
ring,  but  he  could  not  say  why.  He  laid  Mrs.  Jane 
Carver's  epistle  aside,  and  opened  other  letters  in  suc- 
cession, coming  at  last  to  his  mother's,  which  he  usually 
reserved  for  pleasurable  reading  when  he  had  earned 
his  rest  by  the  fulfillment  of  duties. 

Lady  Augusta  wrote  in  a  little  strain  of  reproach 
that  he  lingered  so  long  abroad.  "The  country  is 
looking  divine,"  she  said.  "Never  was  such  a  blaze 
of  gorse  on  the  heaths,  and  the  Templemore  woods 


A  RESCUE  163 

are  alight  with  wild  hyacinth.  England  is  always 
more  beautiful  than  any  land  in  the  world  in  a  fair 
May."  There  was,  he  felt,  an  invitation  in  that  en- 
comium, as  well  as  a  rebuke;  and  he  smiled.  "  I  had 
a  visitor  here  on  Tuesday,"  the  letter  proceeded;  "you 
never  met  him,  but  we  were  ancient  friends  together. 
Indeed,  he  did  me  the  honor  to  ask  my  hand  when  I 
was  in  my  teens.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  has  long  since 
congratulated  himself  that  I  refused  it.  I  mean  the  Duke 
of  Collingham.  Poor  man,  he  is  very  sad  since  his 
son's  death.  It  was  in  your  horrible  accident;  you 
remember,  I  spoke  of  it  to  you.  Strange,  was  n't  it  ? 
Lord  and  Lady  Stroud  were  killed  outright.  They 
were  able  to  identify  Lord  Stroud's  body,  but  the  other 
was  burned  beyond  recognition.  They  lie  in  Waldthal 
churchyard.  I  shuddered  as  I  listened,  and  thought 
of  you.  Poor  father  !  It  might  have  been  poor  mother ! " 

"I  will  go  back  soon,"  murmured  Philip  Temple 
to  himself.  "I  will  finish  up  and  go  back  soon." 

His  glance  drifted  away  in  a  muse  of  affection.  He 
heard  the  wind  in  the  pines  on  Fassett  Heights ;  the  long 
grasses  of  Exmoor  whistled  in  his  ears;  and  the  beat 
of  the  estuary  moved  before  him.  His  mother  was 
right.  England  was  good  in  May.  Why  should  he 
waste  his  time  in  this  exiguous  and  mediaeval  country 
among  the  homuncules  and  marionettes  of  miniature 
politics  ?  He  was  almost  considering  the  question  of  a 
time-table  and  trains,  when  his  meandering  eyes  lit 
upon  a  tower  of  the  Palace  on  the  height  across  the 
river.  His  thoughts  were  diverted  by  that  chance  of 
vision. 

He  went  that  afternoon  to  see  the  pictures  at  the 
Palace  to  which  the  Princess  had  referred.  The  gal- 


164  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

lery  was  open  to  the  public  on  the  completion  of  certain 
forms;  and  he  went  as  an  ordinary  member  of  the 
public.  Temple  was  not  a  connoisseur  of  pictures, 
though  he  had  inherited  some  fine  examples  of  various 
masters  at  Templemore.  It  was  not  altogether  to  see 
the  gallery  that  he  went,  and  he  was  aware  of  it.  There 
had  not  seemed  so  deep  a  gap  between  the  Princess  and 
himself  on  the  three  occasions  on  which  they  had  met 
as  was  obviously  cleft  by  Fate  and  circumstance. 

Somehow,  to  him  she  was  a  woman  first,  if  at  all  a 
Princess.  There  was  something  incongruous  in  her 
being  Regent  over  an  independent  State;  he  hardly 
credited  it,  and  certainly  was  unable  to  act  up  to  a 
belief  in  it. 

He  wandered  about  the  gallery,  idly  examining  the 
pictures,  in  company  with  a  sprinkling  of  evident 
foreigners.  Somewhere  in  the  great  block  of  the  Palace 
Princess  Alise  of  Astra  was  possibly  attending  to  her 
duties  as  Regent.  He  smiled  at  the  juxtaposition  of 
the  beautiful  woman  and  high  powers  of  State;  he 
liked  her  better  playing  tennis,  or  pouring  out  tea  on 
the  sunlit  lawn.  An  enthusiastic  Dutchman,  who 
had  been  making  copious  notes  in  a  pocket-book  about 
the  pictures  seriatim,  stared  in  amazement  to  see  a 
smile  illuminate  the  face  of  the  Englishman,  gazing  as 
he  was  point  blank  at  Del  Sarto's  tragic  masterpiece. 
Was  it  by  the  subject  this  Philistine  had  the  audacity 
to  be  amused,  or  was  it  the  master's  handling  that 
tickled  the  barbarian? 

It  was  neither.     Temple  had  not  seen  the  picture; 
he  had  been  looking  through  walls  into  a  sunlit  room 
and  a  sunlit  garden. 
;    "'A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  for  ever,'"  he  quoted  in 


A  RESCUE  165 

justification  of  himself  as  he  went  out.     "  I  think  I  've 
never  seen  so  symmetrical  a  beauty  before." 

At  the  door  a  casual  question  to  a  uniformed  attend- 
ant elicited  the  information  that  the  Court  was  no  longer 
in  residence;  it  had  gone  to  Waldthal.  Temple's  mood 
suffered  a  singular  and  instantaneous  eclipse;  the  light 
faded  out  of  it  suddenly.  Nothing  had  been  behind 
those  gallery  walls.  The  whole  Palace  was  as  dead  as 
they.  He  did  not  attempt  any  explanation  of  this  feel- 
ing or  any  justification  of  it. 

He  found  a  letter  at  his  hotel  from  Baron  Favrinck, 
conveying  in  quite  civil  terms  a  hope  that  Sir  Philip 
Temple  would  honor  him  with  a  call  in  the  event  of 
his  visiting  the  Odenstock.  It  was  not  quite  an  invita- 
tion, and  Temple  wondered  how  a  man  could  make 
the  distinction,  could  go  half-way  and  no  farther.  Then 
he  looked  at  the  envelope.  As  he  had  expected,  it  had 
been  tampered  with.  Count  Cavari  wanted  him  gone, 
and  if  Temple  followed  his  filial  instincts  he  would  go. 
But  —  this  sort  of  thing  was  calculated  to  undo  the 
effects  of  Lady  Augusta's  letter.  The  Chancellor  was 
spoiling  his  own  plans.  And  was  it  not  Lady  Augusta 
who  had  been  used  to  draw  him  back  to  England  before  ? 
He  stood  looking  down  at  the  letter,  and  then  plumped 
into  a  chair  before  writing  materials. 

"  Why  the  devil  does  n't  the  man  arrest  me  if  he 
suspects  me?"  he  demanded  irritably,  and  dipped  his 
pen  in  the  ink. 

He  wrote  to  Baron  Favrinck  a  civil  letter  of  thanks, 
pausing  to  remember  that  he  would  have  to  stay  at 
Waldthal  if  he  was  to  fish  and  shoot  in  the  Odenstock ; 
he  wrote  next  to  Lady  Augusta;  and,  after  a  few  busi- 
ness letters,  he  turned  over  Mrs.  Jane  Carver's  prim- 


166  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

itive  epistle.  It  was  hardly  worth  answering,  yet  it  was 
the  cry  of  an  animal,  the  bewildered  and  distracted 
bleat  of  a  creature  that  has  lost  its  young.  He  took  a 
sheet  of  paper  and  wrote  a  few  lines,  asking  the  writer 
to  give  him  particulars  as  to  her  daughter,  her  name, 
age,  appearance,  the  name  of  her  ladyship,  and  the 
place  at  which  she  was  last  heard  of.  Then  he  care- 
fully went  through  every  letter  and  crossed  out  the 
hotel1  heading,  substituting  a  poste  restante  address  at 
Lasheim,  over  the  German  border.  He  would  no 
longer  allow  the  Chancellor  to  tap  his  private  affairs 
by  means  of  his  correspondence. 

It  was  now  about  six  o'clock,  and  he  resolved  to  go 
over  to  Lasheim  to  post  his  letters  in  order  to  avoid 
all  risk  of  their  passing  through  the  Eisenburg  post- 
office.  Unfortunately,  a  view  of  the  hotel  was  super- 
scribed on  each  envelope,  so  that  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  in  identifying  letters  from  that  source.  Tem- 
ple had  not  thought  of  that,  and  so  he  decided  on  post- 
ing at  Lasheim  in  order,  as  he  phrased  it,  to  make  a 
clean  deal.  He  made  arrangements  through  the  mana- 
ger of  the  hotel  for  the  hire  of  a  motor-car,  and  he  dined 
pleasantly  alone. 

The  car  was  due  at  8.30,  and  before  that  time  Temple 
had  occasion  to  go  out.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had 
found  a  shop  half-way  up  the  Platz  where  the  cigars 
were  of  a  far  superior  quality  to  those  in  the  hotel,  and 
he  wanted  to  purchase  a  supply.  This  took  him  twenty 
minutes,  by  which  time  the  dusk  was  falling.  He  de- 
scended the  Platz,  and  passed  the  house  in  which  Von 
Hauser  had  chambers.  A  little  farther  on  a  young 
man  was  walking  with  a  brisk  step  up  the  street,  swing- 
ing a  stick  jauntily.  He  drew  Temple's  eye,  and  as 


A  RESCUE  167 

he  passed,  humming  an  air  lightly,  the  Englishman 
recognized  him.  It  was  the  young  man  who  had  made 
the  third  at  Von  Hauser's  secret  conference.  Temple 
went  down  the  Platz  and  entered  his  hotel.  He  had 
smoked  a  cigar  by  the  time  the  car  was  at  the  door; 
and,  wrapping  himself  up,  he  took  his  packet  of  letters 
and  a  rug  and  entered  the  tonneau. 

"Lasheim  !"  he  said  formally  to  the  chauffeur.  The 
man  did  not  appear  to  understand,  and  Temple  repeated 
the  order  more  loudly,  adding,  "How  do  you  get 
to  it?" 

The  chauffeur  nodded  with  comprehension.  "Ah, 
Lasheim  !"  he  said.  "Yes,  we  must  go  along  the  lower 
town  and  cross  the  Effel." 

"Very  well,"  said  Temple,  settling  himself  comfort- 
ably. The  car  groaned,  kicked,  and  started,  and  they 
shot  off  lightly  along  the  edge  of  the  river.  The  chauffeur 
picked  his  way  through  the  narrow  streets,  which  here 
run  in  a  maze  about  the  lowest  parts  of  Eisenburg.  It 
had  not  yet  fallen  dark,  but  was  a  lingering  dusk  in 
which  forms  moved  undetermined  and  the  houses  were 
somber  shadows.  Suddenly  out  of  the  gloom  Temple 
saw  a  running  figure  emerge  and  behind  it  others.  The 
course  of  the  flight  was  slantwise  towards  the  track  of 
the  car,  and  soon  brought  the  actors  into  the  light  of 
a  street  lamp.  Temple,  watching  with  interest,  and  also 
with  curiosity  and  a  certain  sympathy  for  the  fugitive, 
recognized  the  face  as  the  lamp  gleamed  on  it.  He  had 
recognized  it  earlier  that  evening.  It  was  the  young 
man  who  had  been  present  at  Von  Hauser's  table.  He 
spurted  into  the  dusk,  and  Temple  touched  the  chauf- 
feur's arm,  directing  him,  "Slower,  slower!  stop  her!" 

It  was  almost  as  if  the  fugitive  had  heard  and  under- 


168  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

stood  the  intention.  At  any  rate,  he  increased  his  pace, 
and  altered  his  course,  heading  directly  for  the  car, 
which  he  reached  as  it  came  to  a  halt.  Temple  put 
out  a  hand,  and  grasped  him  by  the  arm.  The  next 
moment  the  car  was  in  motion  again,  and  an  exhausted 
passenger  was  leaning  back  in  the  tonneau,  dragging 
the  breath  heavily  back  into  his  winded  body.  Temple 
said  nothing,  and  the  car  was  now  clearing  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town.  Presently  the  young  man  sat  up, 
and  strove  to  pierce  the  dusk  with  his  eyes. 

"  Ah !"  he  ejaculated,  "I  wondered  who  it  could  be." 
He  was  still  panting.  "Anyway,  I  took  the  chance. 
It  was  high  time.  Sir  Philip  Temple  ?" 

Temple  assented.  The  young  man  turned  in  his 
seat,  as  if  he  would  look  back  at  the  lights  of  Eisenburg. 

"  You  know  who  those  were  I  ran  from  ?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  no  idea,"  answered  the  Englishman. 

The  young  man  gave  a  laugh  of  delight.  "I  like 
that  spirit,  my  faith  I  do.  Well,  they  are  instruments 
of  the  State.  They  are  the  Chancellor's  lackeys,  bull- 
dogs —  how  do  you  call  it  ?"  He  laughed  again  breath- 
lessly. "  It  was  a  close  shave.  I  ought  to  have  known 
better.  But  what  a  lark !  I  say,"  he  broke  off  to  ask 
in  English,  "  is  this  your  car  ?  It 's  a  Mercedes,  is  n't  it  ?" 

Temple  answered  both  questions,  and  almost  ere  he 
had  done  so  the  young  man  had  risen  in  his  seat. 

"  Let  me  drive.  I  '11  drive,"  he  called  out  in  a  per- 
emptory voice  to  the  chauffeur. 

Temple  laid  a  firm  hand  on  him.  "No,"  he  said 
decidedly.  "Pray  sit  down." 

The  young  man  stared  at  him  through  the  growing 
darkness,  and  after  a  moment's  pause  subsided  into 
his  seat.  Temple  thought  he  saw  him  smiling  dimly. 


A  RESCUE  169 

"You  are  good  to  give  me  this  means  of  escape," 
he  said  next.  "  Why  did  you  ?  " 

"I  think,"  said  Temple,  "that  it  was  a  sporting 
sympathy  with  the  minority." 

"But  I  may  be  a  criminal  escaping  from  justice," 
suggested  the  other. 

"Perhaps  you  are,"  agreed  Temple  without  per- 
turbation. 

Again  the  boyish  laugh  sounded  on  the  night. 

"Where  are  we  going?"  he  asked  next. 

"Lasheim,"  replied  Temple. 

"Good!    That  will  just  suit  me.    How  fortunate!" 

Temple  was  aware  that  his  companion  was  hum- 
ming an  air.  He  was  manifestly  a  gay  and  irresponsible 
fellow,  and  Temple  wondered  at  what  mischief  he  had 
been.  He  had  a  guess,  but  it  was  soon  to  be  a  certainty. 
The  young  man  turned  to  him  abruptly  as  they  sped 
through  the  night  and  over  the  eastern  plains  of  the 
grand-duchy. 

"  At  the  same  time,  it  is  proper  that  you  should  know 
how  far  you  have  committed  yourself,"  he  remarked 
debonairly. 

"  If  you  wish  to  tell  me,"  said  the  older  man.  "  Other- 
wise it  does  not  concern  me." 

"Ah!"  he  paused.  "Perhaps  you  may  find  it  does. 
That 's  just  the  doubt.  If  it  might  n't  concern  you  I 
need  not  tell  you.  As  it  is  I  must." 

Temple  listened. 

"  I  was  in  danger  of  arrest  for  treason." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  your  politics,"  remarked  Temple 
philosophically. 

"  Oh,  come,  you  know  something,  Sir  Philip.  I  saw 
you  at  Count  von  Hauser's.  You  don't  remember  me  ?" 


170  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"  I  recalled  your  face  very  well,"  said  Temple. 

"  You  recalled "  He  stopped  abruptly.  "  You 

knew  Von  Hauser  as  Herr  something  or  other?" 

"Yes,"  assented  the  other. 

"I  say,  isn't  that  another  motor?"  demanded  the 
young  man,  suddenly  turning  about.  "I'm  sure  it's 
the  noise  of  one." 

"Very  likely,"  said  Philip.  "This  is  probably  a 
main  road." 

"You  are  undisturbed?"  said  his  companion.  "I 
recognize  the  national  trait.  Some  of  us  have  fits; 
others  laugh;  you  do  neither  and  nothing.  It  is  a  car, 
and  a  powerful  one."  He  rose,  and  stared  backwards 
into  the  night.  "I  wonder  if  they  want  me.  That 
would  be  amusing,  wouldn't  it?" 

"No,  I  don't  think  so — rather  a  nuisance,"  said 
Temple,  looking  back  also. 

"There  you  are.  That 's  what  I  mean,"  laughed 
the  young  man.  "You  do  nothing;  you  feel  nothing. 
'Rather  a  bore,  eh?'"  He  laughed  again.  "Well,  if 
they're  after  me,  I  '11  have  some  fun.  It 's  dark  enough 
now  not  to  be  seen  easily.  If  you  slackened  a  little  I 
could  jump.  There  's  only  a  ditch  there,  and  I'd  roll  in." 

"I'm  going  to  take  you  to  Lasheim,"  said  Temple. 

"I  believe  you  are.  I  was  only  speculating.  There 
are  lights.  That 's  Borldrecht,  and  the  river,  I  believe ! " 

They  ran  into  the  lights  of  the  little  border  town  and 
crossed.  The  big  car  behind  did  not  pass  over.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  later  Temple  sat  in  private  rooms  in 
the  chief  Lasheim  hotel  talking  with  his  host. 

"I'm  going  to  have  supper,"  said  the  latter.  "The 
run  has  made  me  hungry.  Besides,  I  missed  my  dinner 
owing  to  circumstances.  You  '11  honor  me,  Sir  Philip  ?  " 


A  RESCUE  171 

Temple  excused  himself.  He  had  to  post  his  letters 
and  to  get  back,  but  he  smoked  his  cigar  and  drank 
his  glass  of  wine  in  a  leisurely  manner  before  rising. 
His  host  talked  at  large  and  in  a  fresh-spirited  way,  but 
on  every  subject  now  save  Eisenburg  and  the  arrest 
he  had  escaped.  It  must  be  confessed  that  Temple 
had  a  curiosity  to  know  whom  he  had  rescued,  but  as 
no  one  seemed  likely  to  give  him  the  information  he  let 
it  pass.  He  felt  that  the  waiter  might  know,  or  at  least 
the  hotel-keeper  who  bowed  so  obsequiously,  but  he 
went  by  them  without  making  an  inquiry  which  would 
have  been  at  once  ridiculous  and  impertinent.  His 
car  was  waiting  without,  and  a  man  glided  away  on 
the  further  side,  as  if  he  had  retired  from  gossip  with 
the  chauffeur.  Temple  turned  in  the  direction  of  the 
post-office,  which  he  had  learned  by  a  question  at  the 
hotel  bureau.  As  he  dropped  his  letters  in,  some  one 
pressed  by  his  side,  and  apologized.  There  seemed 
something  familiar,  reminiscent  in  the  act,  as  though 
it  had  occurred  before.  Then  he  recognized  little  Kuss, 
and  greeted  him.  The  little  clerk  had  come  over  to 
Lasheim  on  business,  he  explained,  business  connected 
with  the  affairs  of  state. 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  important  business," 
said  Temple  gravely. 

"Monsieur,  you  say  right,"  said  Kuss.  "There  are 
responsible  things  to  be  done  in  state  offices." 

Temple  nodded  pleasantly  and  left  him.  When  he 
reached  his  car  he  remembered  the  man  who  had  talked 
with  the  chauffeur,  and  he  knew  now  from  size  and 
gait  that  it  must  have  been  little  Kuss.  He  gave  the 
order  to  return,  and  the  car  swung  out  towards  the  river. 
Before  a  hostelry  in  Borldrecht  they  passed  the  big 


172  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

car,  drawn  up  and  waiting  with  the  chauffeur  on  his 
seat;  and  then  they  slid  out  into  the  night  westwards. 
It  was  a  beautiful  drive,  the  wind  strong  with  the  fra- 
grance of  night  and  earth  and  distant  mountain,  and 
the  chauffeur  made  good  time. 

It  somewhat  astonished  Temple  half  an  hour  after 
his  arrival  at  his  hotel  to  see  little  Kuss  go  out  of  the 
hall.  He  wondered  how  he  could  have  managed  to 
return  so  soon;  and  then  he  remembered  how  he  him- 
self had  contrived  it,  and  an  idea  struck  him.  Little 
Kuss  must  have  had  the  big  car. 

As  he  undressed  for  bed,  sleepy  from  the  fresh  air, 
his  thoughts  returned  to  the  clerk,  and  quite  without 
effort  on  his  part,  and  even  without  a  conscious  desire 
to  recall  anything,  he  realized  how  that  meeting  at  the 
post-office  of  Lasheim  had  seemed  familiar.  He  re- 
called Waldthal,  the  telegram  he  was  sending,  and  the 
little  cock-sparrow  who  had  jostled  him  and  begged 
pardon.  It  was  funny. 

His  reflections  broke  off  here  abruptly,  for  in  putting 
his  hand  into  a  pocket  of  his  coat  he,had  encountered  a 
packet  which  ought  not  to  have  been  there.  He  drew 
it  forth,  cut  the  string  that  bound  it,  and  in  wonder 
opened  it.  In  still  greater  wonder  he  surveyed  it  when 
opened.  It  consisted  of  a  little  purple  case  in  which 
was  a  black  pearl  ring,  and  attached  to  this  was  a  card 
on  which  was  written:  "With  the  enduring  thanks 
of  Albrecht  of  Suabia." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK 

A  LBRECHT  of  Suabia !  Of  course,  he  ought  to 
•*V  have  understood  and  realized  it  earlier.  Not 
that  it  was  any  concern  of  his.  Yet  stay ;  there  was  one 
way  in  which  it  might  very  well  concern  him.  The 
government  had  endeavored  to  seize  Albrecht  on  a 
charge  of  treason,  and  Temple  had  thwarted  the  officers 
of  the  law.  He  wondered  if  he  had  been  recognized 
in  the  car,  and  to  that  wonder  immediately  succeeded 
the  thought  that  in  so  small  a  place  it  would  be  in  any 
event  impossible  to  hide  his  tracks.  And  the  awkward- 
ness of  the  situation  resided  in  the  fact  that  he  had 
become  already  suspect,  "ear-marked"  by  the  Chan- 
cellor, who  had  now  begun  to  strike.  There  was  evi- 
dently room  here  for  reflection. 

He  turned  his  attention  to  the  pearl.  The  case  must 
have  been  slipped  into  his  pocket  surreptitiously  while 
he  was  in  the  Prince's  hotel.  He  remembered  that  the 
unknown  young  man  had  left  the  room  for  a  few  min- 
utes, and  had  returned  in  smiling  spirits.  The  young 
man  fascinated  him,  as  he  had  begun  to  fascinate  him 
from  the  other  side  of  Von  Hauser's  table.  And  he  was 
Albrecht !  Assuredly,  there  seemed  to  be  something 
in  the  Chancellor's  contention,  and  Fate  was  pushing 
him  pertinaciously  and  irrevocably  into  the  camp  of 
the  conspirators.  If  Count  Cavari  had  begun  to  move, 


174  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

as  appeared  likely,  would  not  the  obnoxious  English- 
man be  among  the  proscribed  ?  Temple  was,  of  course, 
unaware  of  the  Chancellor's  design  against  him  and 
of  its  frustration  by  the  Regent.  But  he  saw  fully 
the  risk  he  ran,  and  decided  to  make  the  necessary 
moves  on  the  chessboard  to  meet  it.  He  reclothed 
himself  and  sat  into  the  morning  writing;  and  what 
he  had  written  he  carefully  folded  into  two  envelopes, 
one  of  which  was  addressed  to  the  British  Consul 
at  Eisenburg  and  the  other  to  an  important  Member 
of  Parliament  in  England.  Both  letters,  which  were 
written  on  private  paper  and  contained  documents 
and  information  for  provisional  use  in  an  emergency,  he 
posted  himself  ere  he  retired  for  the  night.  As  he  un- 
dressed for  the  second  time  his  mind  swung  back  to 
Albrecht  and  to  Lasheim,  and  he  was  troubled  by 
vague  thoughts  of  little  Kuss.  Heavily  among  his 
dreams  moved  little  Kuss. 

In  the  morning  he  took  his  resolution  at  once.  All 
fingers  were  pointing  in  one  direction.  There  was  the 
Baron's  invitation,  there  was  the  beautiful  May  weather, 
there  was  the  odd  adventure  over-night,  and  there  was  — 
yes,  he  was  honest  enough  to  accept  among  his  reasons 
that  last  one.  Eisenburg  had  emptied  itself  for  him, 
and  he  was  drawn  by  a  certain  vague  sentiment,  an 
aberrant  "rotten  romantic  feeling,"  as  he  phrased  it, 
to  Waldthal.  At  any  rate,  he  left  Eisenburg  before 
midday  in  a  slow  train  and  ascended  the  valley  in  a 
holiday  mood.  He  established  himself  in  his  old  quar- 
ters in  the  Hotel  du  Cerf,  and  was  made  welcome  with 
pleasure  but  without  any  effusion  by  Maillac.  Dinner 
in  the  room  over  the  babbling  Larche  in  the  fall  of  the 
day  was  exquisite ;  the  lilac  of  the  Wolfgangs  was  aflower 


THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK      175 

superbly  in  the  gardens,  and  guelder  roses  and  syringas 
whitened  the  shrubberies.  Maillac,  pleasant  gossip, 
dribbled  out  his  news  at  table. 

Monsieur  was  aware  that  the  Court  was  at  Waldthal  ? 
It  was  said  that  Eisenburg  air  did  not  agree  with  the 
little  Grand  Duke.  Monsieur  could  understand  that, 
since  his  Highness  had  been  born  in  the  hills.  Wald- 
thal was  his  native  air,  and  there  he  would  naturally 
flourish.  Her  Highness  the  Regent  was  devoted.  It 
was  the  best  thing  ever  done  to  invest  her  with  that 
august  authority.  His  Excellency  the  Chancellor  was 
in  residence.  His  Excellency  was  looking  rather  white 
and  careworn. 

"I  have  no  doubt  he  has  plenty  of  responsibiity  on 
his  shoulders,"  observed  Monsieur,  carefully  selecting 
his  liqueur. 

"Monsieur,  terrible!"  Maillac  threw  up  his  hands 
in  an  expressive  gesture.  "It  is  said  that  he  is  much 
troubled  with  these  malcontents,  these  revolutionary 
ingrates  of  the  nether  Odenstock" — he  lowered  his 
voice,  and  looked  round  — "  his  Honor  the  Baron's 
estates.  They  are  foolish  people,  and  ungrateful.  They 
expect  everything  to  go  well  always."  Every  one  knew 
that  was  impossible. 

Temple  wondered  how  far^fhe  escape  of  Prince  Al- 
brecht  would  contribute  to  the  increased  cares  of  the 
Chancellor.  He  must,  he  reflected,  be  by  this  time  in 
full  possession  of  the  story,  and  would,  doubtless,  learn 
shortly,  if  he  had  not  already  learned,  the  identity  of 
the  man  in  a  motor-car.  Again  his  mind  was  deflected 
tangentially  to  little  Kuss.  He  had  an  uneasy  feeling 
about  little  Kuss  as  he  looked  back  over  his  various 
meetings  with  the  clerk. 


176  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Baron  Favrinck  had  definitely  referred  to  a  shoot- 
ing party,  and  to  Temple  had  come  prepared.  He  had 
bought  the  necessary  arms  in  Eisenburg,  and  he  had 
also  his  fishing-tackle.  As  the  weather  held  still,  the 
day  following  his  arrival  he  resolved  to  try  his  luck  in 
the  pools  of  the  upper  Larche.  The  road  to  the  Oden- 
stock  left  the  highway  to  the  French  frontier,  and  struck 
southward  towards  the  gorges  about  a  mile  out  of 
Waldthal,  and  some  distance  from  the  Castle.  Here 
he  was  driving  his  rustic  cart  towards  a  mill  which 
Maillac  had  recommended  as  a  rendezvous,  when  he 
came  upon  the  Regent  riding  with  her  attendants. 
There  was  a  company  of  five  or  six,  besides  grooms,  and 
the  cavalcade  made  quite  an  imposing  picture  against 
the  green  of  the  wooded  hill.  There  was  an  appalling 
incongruity  between  it  and  the  farmer's  cart  which 
Temple  was  driving;  but  it  did  not  appear  that  the 
Princess  was  aware  of  it.  After  the  first  glance  of  sur- 
prise she  bowed  as  he  saluted,  and  reined  in,  much  to 
the  evident  astonishment  of  her  entourage. 

"You  have  not,  then,  exhausted  the  beauties  of  Eisen- 
burg, Sir  Philip?"  she  said. 

He  indicated  the  fishing-tackle  in  the  cart  with  a 
smile  as  he  answered  lightly: 

"I  hope  to  exhaust  the  Larche  of  some  beauties 
before  sunset." 

"Yes,"  she  mused,  smiling,  "I  remember  things  so 
well  in  England.  It  was  always  that  sort  of  thing.  But 
there  are  more  important  things  in  life,"  she  said,  with 
a  sigh.  "I  don't  know  that  you  English  ever  realize 
that  fully." 

"I  can  understand  there  may  be  things  much  more 
important,"  said  Temple,  looking  over  her  head  at 


THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK   177 

the  Castle  in  the  distance  —  "  even  for  me,  certainly 
for  you,"  he  added. 

"I  have  heard  from  my  old  friend  the  Duke  of  Col- 
lingham,"  she  said,  after  a  momentary  pause.  "He 
is  coming  to  Eisenburg  to  take  the  bodies  of  his  son 
and  daughter-in-law  back  to  England.  They  lie  in 
the  churchyard  yonder.  A  melancholy  journey,  poor 
old  man !  He  was  ill  at  the  time  and  could  not  come. 
That  horrible  night !"  Her  brows  bent.  "It  is  strange 
after  all  these  years  that  we  should  meet  so,  is  n't  it  ? 
I  hope  he  will  stay  at  the  Castle." 

Temple  murmured  something  sympathetic.  "My 
mother  mentioned  that  he  had  called  on  her  the  other 
day,"  he  added. 

The  Princess  looked  at  him  alertly.    "  Your  mother ! " 

"My  mother  reigns  in  my  stead  at  Templemore, 
while  I  trifle,"  he  explained,  laughing.  "She  wants 
me  back,  and  I  must  go  soon." 

"  She  wants  you  back,"  she  repeated.  "  I  can  under- 
stand. Perhaps  you  should  go."  Her  memory  followed 
up  its  thread,  and  she  saw  the  thin-lipped,  pallid  Chan- 
cellor facing  the  storm  as  she  flashed  the  deportation 
order  before  him. 

"After  exhausting  the  beauties  of  the  Larche,"  he 
suggested. 

The  Princess  inclined  her  head,  and  rode  off  in  the 
circle  of  her  attendants,  and  he  drove  on,  though  he 
turned  his  body  to  look  after  them  till  they  disappeared 
round  a  bend  in  the  road.  The  streams  offered  him 
good  sport,  and  he  made  a  full  basket.  He  lunched  in 
the  open,  under  the  feathery  larches,  off  sandwiches 
and  a  pint  of  wine ;  and  he  whipped  the  pools  right  up 
one  of  the  gorges  until  the  Larche  was  merely  a  torrent, 


178  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

and  the  shadows  of  evening  were  lengthening  on  the 
hills.  Then  he  decided  to  "call"  on  Baron  Favrinck, 
whose  chateau  of  Demarne  overlooked  this  gorge,  and 
to  leave  some  trout  upon  him  by  way  of  a  visiting  card. 
As  he  entered  the  park  his  mind  engaged  in  a  com- 
parison between  it  and  his  own  place  of  Templemore. 
His  thoughts  returned  with  renewed  force  to  Somerset- 
shire and  his  mother,  passing  in  their  swift  flight  over 
the  forests  and  mountains  of  Eisenburg,  over  the  vine- 
yard valleys,  the  Castle  of  Waldthal.  .  .  . 

For  a  moment  they  hung  there,  and  then  went  on. 
He  drew  deep  breaths  of  the  spring  air,  and  found  it  good ; 
his  full  basket  swung  at  his  side.  And  there  were  the 
unexplored  woods  and  the  hunting  of  the  boar.  He 
reached  the  grim  house  with  these  considerations  in 
his  mind.  He  had  not  thought  to  find  Baron  Favrinck 
at  home,  but  it  appeared  that  he  was,  and  Temple  was 
conducted  through  a  long  corridor  into  a  spacious  and 
lofty  chamber  with  blackened  oak  beams.  At  a  table 
sat  the  Baron,  writing.  He  rose  on  his  guest's  entrance, 
extended  a  hand  in  welcome,  and  admired  the  fish 
lightly. 

"Yes,  we  have  good-sized  trout  in  our  streams,"  he 
said.  "These  mountain  trout  are  much  the  best  to 
eat.  They  lack  the  muddy  flavor  of  the  low  plains." 

Across  the  floor  they  chatted  in  this  easy,  social  way 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  the  Baron  rose. 

"I  have  something  I  should  like  to  show  you,"  he 
said  with  bluff  graciousness,  and  Temple  followed 
where  he  led  without  a  word. 

Somewhere  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  as  he  conjectured, 
Baron  Favrinck  turned  the  handle  of  a  door,  and  ushered 
him  into  a  large  raftered  room.  It  was  probably  of 


THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK   179 

mediaeval  date,  and  its  prevailing  character  and  color 
were  resolutely  mediaeval.  The  oak  walls  were  hung 
with  ancient  firearms,  with  swords  and  bucklers,  with 
casques  and  morions,  and  all  the  apparatus  of  a  dead 
chivalry.  Suits  of  armor  stood  here  and  there  elevated 
on  small  platforms,  like  men-at-arms  holding  lance  and 
spear,  the  hollow,  empty-ringing  cases  of  departed 
warriors,  not  even  haunted  by  the  ghosts  of  the  past. 
The  floor  was  free  and  unencumbered,  an  ample  space, 
and  benches  ran  crosswise  at  either  end  as  if  for  the 
accommodation  of  spectators.  To  Temple  the  place 
bore  the  obvious  aspect  of  a  salle  d'armes.  He  gazed 
about  him  with  interest.  The  Baron  shut  the  door. 

"Do  you  fence?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  done  so,"  replied  the  Englishman,  "though 
I  am  not  an  expert." 

"  Try  a  bout,"  said  the  Baron  shortly,  and  took  down 
two  foils  from  the  wall. 

Temple  smilingly  accepted  one,  and  doffed  his  coat. 
The  two  exchanged  passes  briskly  for  a  little  while, 
and  then  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  the  Baron  disen- 
gaged and  drew  off. 

"Did  you  learn  in  London?"  he  asked,  and  receiv- 
ing an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  gave  an  expressive 
"Ah!" 

"  I  think  you  had  me  at  your  mercy  then,"  remarked 
Sir  Philip  amiably. 

The  Baron  grunted.  "  Half  a  dozen  times,"  he  said, 
putting  up  his  foil.  "You  were  dead  and  done  for 
from  the  first.  It  was  easy  to  see  from  the  way  you 
shaped.  Can  you  shoot  ?" 

Now,  no  man,  however  amiable,  and  particularly 
if  he  be  young,  likes  to  have  his  prowess  at  games 


180  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

of  skill  and  sport  treated  with  open  contempt,  and 
Temple  was  somewhat  nettled. 

"A  little,"  he  answered  dryly. 

Favrinck  walked  to  a  table  on  which  were  some  cases, 
and  returned  with  two  revolvers. 

"  This  is  a  small  bore,  but  a  true  one,"  he  said,  offering 
Temple  cartridges.  "  Shall  we  take  thirty  paces  ?  " 

He  strode  down  the  length  of  the  room,  and  pulled 
out  from  the  wall  what  appeared  at  first  sight  to  be  an 
easel.  When  he  had  rolled  it  on  its  wheels  into  the 
center  of  the  room  Temple  perceived  it  to  be  a  small 
target.  The  Baron,  having  made  this  disposition, 
came  back.  He  spoke  now  as  curtly  as  ever. 

"This  mark  is  thirty  paces.     Try  your  weapon." 

Temple  was  a  crack  shot  in  the  stubble,  and  he  had 
also  seen  training  in  the  Militia.  He  lifted  his  arm 
indifferently  and  fired.  The  somber  eyes  of  the  Baron 
followed  the  shot. 

"  Good  —  a  bull's-eye,"  he  said. 

He  lifted  his  own  revolver  and  fired,  obtaining  a 
bull's-eye.  Temple  replied,  and  again  scored  a  bull's- 
eye.  The  Baron  followed  with  the  same  fortune;  and 
the  Englishman's  third  shot  also  went  home.  Favrinck 
dropped  his  weapon  upon  a  table. 

"  Pray  be  seated,  Sir  Philip,"  he  said,  in  another  tone 
of  voice.  "I  should  like  a  talk  with  you." 

Temple  stared  at  him  curiously.  He  had  begun  to 
wonder  at  the  eccentric  behavior  of  his  host.  After 
all,  it  was  somewhat  childish  play  in  which  they  had 
been  indulging.  He  stared  and  saw  a  grim,  set  mask 
facing  him  with  dusky  eyes. 

"You  came  to  Waldthal  owing  to  an  accident  some 
weeks  ago,  Sir  Philip  Temple,"  said  the  Baron.  "  You 


THE  BOAK  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK       181 

are  still  here.  Am  I  to  take  it  that  it  is  the  beauty  of 
our  grand-duchy  that  keeps  you  here?" 

"My  dear  sir,"  responded  the  Englishman  sharply, 
"you  may  assume  what  you  like." 

The  Baron  nodded.  "  I  have  already  assumed  that," 
he  said,  "as  have  others.  The  fact  is,  Sir  Philip,  your 
presence  here  is  not  considered  desirable." 

Temple  let  a  slight  pause  ensue.  The  scene  before 
the  Chancellor  rebuilt  itself  for  him  in  that  moment. 
He  was  suspected  by  both  parties. 

"Is  not  considered  desirable  by  Baron  Favrinck?" 
he  suggested. 

"  That  is  quite  sufficient,"  said  the  other. 

"Then,"  said  Temple  with  dry  sarcasm,  "as  I  am 
not  wanted  by  Baron  Favrinck,  it  is  quite  clear  that  I 
must  leave  the  country." 

"It  is  too  late  for  that,"  said  the  Baron  harshly. 

"What  is  it  you  mean?"  inquired  the  Englishman, 
with  a  frown. 

"  If  you  had  gone  earlier  I  would  not  have  objected. 
I  would  have  wiped  the  matter  out,  to  save  argument. 
But  it  is  too  late.  Look  you,  Sir  Philip,  on  what  grounds 
you  meddle  with  our  affairs  I  neither  know  nor  care. 
It  suffices  for  m<  that  you  do.  You  are,  so  far  as  I 
see,  a  confidential  agent  of  the  Palace.  If  you  are  not 
I  don't  care.  I  can't  take  any  risks." 

Temple  smiled.    The  situation  had  its  amusing  face. 

"I  am  supposed  to  be  employed  by  Count  Cavari  to 
keep  an  eye  on  Baron  Favrinck?"  he  asked. 

His  smile  ruffled  the  calm  of  the  older  man. 

"You  entered  Eisenburg  at  a  critical  moment," 
he  retorted,  with  some  ferocity  of  manner.  "You  have 
been  associated  with  the  Palace,  you  have  been  seen 


182  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

with  Palace  spies,  and  there  was  that  occasion  when 
you  pretended  to  have  blundered  into  our  room.  The 
result  of  that  is  here  and  now,"  he  said,  stormily  dashing 
his  huge  hand  on  the  table.  "  We  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  warrants  have  been  issued  for  the  arrest  of 
certain  people,  and  I  am  informed  to-day  that  an  attempt 
was  made  to  put  one  of  the  warrants  into  force  last 
night.  It  follows  directly  on  your  appearance  at  the 
rooms  in  the  Platz.  I  tell  you,  sir,  the  time  has  gone 
by  for  your  withdrawal.  You  must  go  in  another  way, 
and  now!" 

He  thundered  on  the  last  word,  and  his  moody  eyes 
gleamed  red.  It  was  the  boar  of  the  Odenstock  now 
at  last,  with  his  bristles  and  his  savage  eyes  and  his 
tusks.  Temple  was  conscious  of  the  difficulties  of  the 
position.  It  was  absurd,  of  course,  but  so  were  the 
Middle  Ages ;  and  the  Middle  Ages  were  also  barbarous. 
He  was  in  an  atmosphere  of  medievalism  in  that  room. 
His  mind  and  his  body  grew  taut  suddenly. 

"You  propose,"  said  he,  "because  of  these  sus- 
picions of  yours  to  kill  me  now?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  Boar.  "But  you  have  your  chance. 
You  are  no  good  with  the  rapier.  You  could  not  have 
survived  ten  passes  —  I  proved  that.  You  have  your 
chance  with  the  pistols.  You  're  a  pretty  shot.  Thirty 
paces." 

"And  if,"  said  Temple,  "I  am  fortunate  enough  to 
kill  you?" 

"There  is  a  door  at  the  end  of  the  room  into  the 
shrubbery  and  the  forest.  Never  fear,  no  one  of  the 
servants  dares  interfere  with  my  orders.  You  will  be 
safe.  And  as  for  me,"  he  smiled  grimly,  "I  shan't 
care  in  that  event  what  happens  in  Eisenburg," 


THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK       183 

His  manner  showed  no  sign  of  anticipating  such 
a  fate.  He  was  a  confident  boar.  Temple's  blood 
ran  warmer  in  a  swift  wave  of  anger. 

"I  protest.  This  is  preposterous,"  he  declared 
hotly.  "Why  should  I  unnecessarily  expose  my  life 
because  of  your  groundless  and  ludicrous  suspicions  ? 
I  know  no  more  of  your  politics  than  I  care  for  them. 
A  plague  on  both  your  houses  !"  he  ended  furiously. 

But,  furious  as  he  was,  he  kept  his  nerve.  The  hand 
that  took  the  revolver  from  the  Boar's  fingers  was  firm 
enough,  and  his  will  behind  it  all  was  cold  and  strong. 

"  One  shot  at  thirty  paces  will  suffice,"  said  the  Baron 
coolly. 

Temple  cast  a  rapid  glance  about  the  room.  It 
lay  in  the  modulated  light  of  a  late  May  afternoon. 
A  series  of  questions  knocked  on  his  consciousness, 
beseeching  entrance  and  answer;  and  at  the  end  he 
saw  no  answer  for  any  of  them  —  only  a  ridiculous 
body  stretched  in  a  ridiculous  mediaeval  room  in  silence. 
Why  was  it  that  either  he  or  the  Baron  was  to  serve 
as  that  body?  The  whole  thing  was  preposterous. 
He  was  out  in  the  valleys  of  the  Odenstock  whipping 
for  trout.  He  passed  the  cavalcade  of  the  Princess 
Regent.  The  old  Duke  of  Collingham  somehow 
tumbled  vaguely  through  his  memory.  It  was  a  jumbled 
memory  of  flashes;  but  when  he  looked  down  the 
chamber  and  saw  the  Boar  with  his  tusks  he  stiffened, 
all  memories  suddenly  shed.  He  was  there  on  business, 
looking  over  thirty  paces  with  a  serene  and  calculating 
eye,  and  looking  also  with  a  certain  intensity  of  interest 
and  anger.  The  Baron  lifted  an  arm. 

"That  clock  will  strike  within  a  minute,"  he  said 
in  guttural  English.  "  We  will  fire  then." 


184  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Temple  made  no  answer.  His  eyes  were  on  his  ad- 
versary, intent  and  narrowed  to  that  single  object. 
Outside  of  it  there  was  nothing,  either  for  eyes  or 
ears  or  mind.  If  it  is  possible  to  reduce  the  brain  to 
a  blankness,  he  had  accomplished  it  then ;  the  machinery, 
as  it  were,  had  ceased.  It  had  congealed  in  that  act  of 
sight  and  waiting.  Nor  was  the  passage  of  time  ap- 
parent. It  needs  consciousness  to  interpret  what  is 
merely  a  form  of  thought.  Within  the  sixty  seconds 
might  have  been  compassed  an  aeon  or  a  moment. 
Time  had  ceased  to  exist;  it  was  empty  space,  in- 
finity, nothingness.  Then  a  sound  broke  on  the  silence, 
and  the  Baron's  face  twitched  as  his  glance  slid  to- 
wards the  opening  door.  In  the  aperture  stood  Count 
von  Hauser. 

He  took  in  the  scene  in  a  flash.  The  men  stood 
motionless  at  the  measured  distance,  though  no  hand 
was  raised,  no  weapon  leveled.  Von  Hauser  moved 
forward  without  speaking,  and  stepped  into  the  direct 
range  between  the  duelists. 

"I  have  no  wish  to  be  riddled  from  both  sides," 
he  said,  "but  I  fancy  I  may  rely  upon  your  discretion." 

As  he  finished  the  clock  struck.  The  Baron  threw 
his  revolver  noisily  on  the  table,  and  approached,  his 
face  moving  ferociously.  The  Boar  had  two  ene- 
mies for  his  tusks.  The  only  sign  of  the  crisis  visible 
in  Temple  was  a  slightly  longer  indrawing  of  the 
breath. 

"I  am  instructed,"  said  Von  Hauser,  with  a  little 
ceremonious  bow  to  Temple,  "to  render  formally  his 
Highness's  thanks  for  your  great  service  to  him  last 
night." 

The  Boar,  gnashing  his  teeth  and  foaming,  as  we 


THE  BOAR  OF  THE  ODENSTOCK       185 

must  conceive  him,  stopped  midway  and  glared  out 
of  red  eyes. 

"What?  "he  roared. 

Von  Hauser  looked  at  him  a  little  coldly.  "Sir 
Philip  Temple  was  instrumental  last  night,  at  con- 
siderable risk  to  himself,  in  saving  Prince  Albrecht 
from  the  secret  police  of  the  Palace." 

The  Baron's  jaw  dropped.  "Caspar  sent  me  word 
that  the  warrant  was  issued,  but  I  did  not  believe  it 
would  be  served.  I  did  not  think  he  would  have  dared." 
He  was  silent.  "Then  if  he  has  issued  that  warrant, 
he  would  not  hesitate  over  us." 

"If  it  suits  his  purpose,"  said  the  Count.  "But 
having  failed  of  the  Prince,  he  may  not  desire  to  go 
farther  just  now.  We  are  possibly  safe." 

"Safe!"  Favrinck  repeated  with  scorn.  "There 
is  no  place  they  would  dare  take  me.  The  Wolfgangs 
know  better." 

"But  this  is  Cavari,  who  perhaps  knows  worse," 
suggested  Von  Hauser  mildly,  and  turned  his  attention 
to  Temple. 

The  Baron's  eyes  turned  with  him. 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  this  story  of  last  night?" 
asked  the  Boar  abruptly. 

"I  fancy,"  said  the  Englishman  after  a  moment, 
"because  I  considered  you  incapable  of  compre- 
hending." 

A  frown  deepened  on  Favrinck's  dark  face;  it  was 
almost  as  if  the  lips  would  lift  over  the  fangs ;  and  then 
he  put  back  his  head  and  burst  into  a  loud  explosion 
of  laughter. 

Laughter  seemed  incongruous  in  the  Boar,  but 
this  was  hardly  laughter;  it  was  a  playful  roar. 


186  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"What  a  joke!  What  an  excellent  joke!"  he  ex- 
claimed. "  At  each  other's  throats  all  over  a  misappre- 
hension !  I  shall  always  remember  that.  Heavens, 
to  think  of  the  time  and  temper  I've  wasted." 

"  I  think,"  remarked  Von  Hauser  dryly,  "  that  Sir 
Philip  also  requires  some  sympathy." 

"He  shall  have  his  turn;  he  shall  hunt  the  boar," 
said  the  Baron,  with  his  laugh.  "  Sir  Philip,  you  shall 
have  a  shot  at  me  when  you  will." 

"I  wonder,"  said  Temple,  who  had  been  listening 
quietly  —  "I  wonder  why,  believing  what  you  did, 
you  gave  me  a  chance,  why  you  discarded  the  rapier." 

The  Baron  looked  bluffly  at  him.  "It  would  not 
have  been  fair  or  equitable,"  he  said. 

"Yet  you  were  confident  of  coming  out  right  with 
pistols,"  suggested  Temple. 

"Ah,  my  friend,  the  margin  was  all  right,"  said  the 
Boar  good-humoredly.  "I  take  no  risks."  Which, 
when  he  came  to  consider  it,  tickled  Temple's  fancy. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  REGENT'S  GUEST 

issue  of  what  Baron  Favrinck  persisted  in 
A  looking  upon  as  a  humorous  incident  was  a 
cordial  invitation  to  Temple.  The  service  rendered 
to  Prince  Albrecht  had  placed  him  beyond  doubt  in 
the  mind  of  the  Baron,  who  showed  a  desire  to  make 
up  for  his  blunder  in  an  access  of  hospitality.  That 
night  he  insisted  that  Temple  should  stay  to  dine,  and 
afterwards  he  had  him  driven  in  safety  and  comfort 
to  the  Hotel  du  Cerf .  Temple  gathered  that  Favrinck 
lived  almost  in  feudal  state,  with  retainers  sworn  to 
his  suzerainty.  A  large  tract  of  country  in  the  south,  of 
which  the  center  was  Montrais,  owed  allegiance  to 
him.  It  was  that  which  made  him  what  he  was,  the 
most  powerful  subject  in  Eisenburg,  and  it  was  that 
which  gave  force  and  danger  to  his  support  of  Prince 
Albrecht.  The  government  had  made  a  move,  but  it 
had  missed  its  object  owing  to  the  accident  of  Temple's 
interference.  Prince  Albrecht  had  escaped  the  trap  laid 
for  him,  and  would,  no  doubt,  show  more  wariness  in 
the  future. 

"He  should  never  have  ventured.  I  warned  him 
of  the  rashness,"  declared  Von  Hauser,  "though  I  did 
not  suspect  Cavari  of  the  courage  to  strike  so." 

"He  is  a  machine;  that  is  why  he  strikes.  He  had 
it  all  cut  and  dried,"  said  the  Baron. 


188  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

But  Von  Hauser  doubted.  "There  is  more  than 
that  in  it.  If  it  is  cut  and  dried  he  will  proceed  against 
me  —  possibly  against  you."  The  Baron  growled. 
"But  he  has  not  stirred  after  the  failure.  I  passed 
safely  and  openly  through  the  streets  of  Eisenburg 
this  morning.  He  does  not  want  me,  at  all  events  with- 
out the  Prince.  And,  moreover,  he  could  prove  nothing 
where  I  am  concerned.  But  you,  my  friend " 

"I  will  walk  unarmed  and  naked  in  the  streets,  and 
none  will  dare  stay  me,"  said  the  Baron  stormily. 

Von  Hauser  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  turned  to 
Temple. 

"I  fear,  Sir  Philip,  that  you  will  not  increase  your 
popularity  by  this  latest  adventure,"  he  said.  "  You 
were  already  deep  in  his  Excellency's  black  books." 

"Sir  Philip  shall  have  guarantees;  he  shall  be  pro- 
tected as  a  guest  of  mine,"  said  Favrinck,  in  his  feudal 
way.  "I  will  set  him  a  bodyguard.  No  man  shall 
suffer  as  guest  of  mine.  Moreover,"  he  said,  reverting 
to  his  laughter,  "I  owe  him  as  much." 

But  all  that  Sir  Philip  would  accept  was  the  car- 
riage to  Waldthal.  He  refused  courteously  the  offer 
of  a  bodyguard,  which  he  found  was  seriously  intended, 
but  was  obliged  to  accept  the  further  hospitality  of 
the  Baron.  He  was  commanded  to  stay  at  the  chateau, 
and  consented  to  transfer  himself  and  his  belongings 
in  the  course  of  the  next  few  days. 

Nothing  of  any  moment  happened  in  those  next  days. 
The  Chancellor  made  no  sign,  and  Von  Hauser  dis- 
appeared ;  the  Baron  journeyed  to  his  Montrais  estates ; 
Temple  continued  to  explore  the  Odenstock  with  rod 
and  gun,  under  the  charge  of  an  experienced  forester 
in  the  service  of  the  Baron.  From  this  man  he  learned 


THE  REGENT'S  GUEST  189 

something  of  the  place  the  Baron  held  in  the  esteem 
of  his  tenants  and  lieges.  He  ruled  paternally,  an 
autocrat  of  ruthless  and  generous  habits,  and  none 
questioned  his  authority.  To  his  retainers  he  was 
undoubtedly  as  great  a  man  as  any  grand  duke,  and 
one,  moreover,  who  was  in  constant  touch  with  them 
and  demonstrably  human. 

On  the  third  day,  and  two  days  before  the  return  of 
the  Baron,  Temple  met  the  Princess  again.  It  was 
in  one  of  the  roads  of  the  lower  Odenstock,  and  she 
was,  as  before,  in  the  company  of  her  retinue  and  ahorse. 
History  did  not  repeat  itself.  Temple,  on  thinking  it  over 
at  night,  was  unable  to  determine  if  she  had  avoided 
seeing  him  on  purpose,  or  if  it  had  happened  in  the 
press  of  her  entourage.  At  any  rate,  the  cavalcade 
swept  by  without  so  much  as  a  greeting,  and  left  him 
a  solitary  pedestrian  looking  after  it. 

It  was,  of  course,  impossible  for  him  to  have  been 
in  the  Castle  the  previous  afternoon  and  present  at  a 
meeting  between  the  Regent  and  the  Chancellor.  If 
he  had  been  it  would  have  shed  light  on  the  situation. 
Count  Cavari  had  requested  an  audience,  and  laid 
before  her  Highness  various  matters  of  state  in  that 
civil,  formal,  and  prosaic  way  of  his.  The  Princess 
signed  certain  documents  at  spots  he  indicated,  and 
received  information  relating  to  vital  political  affairs, 
notably  Prince  Albrecht.  The  Chancellor's  report  hav- 
ing been  delivered  up  to  this  point,  he  made  a  small 
pause,  and  then  went  on. 

"  The  failure  to  seize  the  person  of  the  Prince  has,  of 
course,  placed  us  in  a  difficulty." 

"I  was  against  it,"  interrupted  the  Princess  hastily. 
"But  you  overruled  me." 


190  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

The  Chancellor  bowed  his  assent.  "I  explained 
my  cogent  reasons  to  your  Highness.  If  we  secured 
the  Prince  we  practically  nipped  the  conspiracy  in 
the  bud.  Without  him  it  could  not  flower,  and  the 
proofs  in  my  hands  were  strong  enough  to  enable  us 
to  take  that  drastic  course.  There  could  have  been  no 
trouble  with  Germany  in  the  circumstances.  The 
Powers  would  have  understood  and  sympathized  with 
us,  a  small  and  independent  State  resolved  to  protect 
itself  from  filibusterers.  The  Prince  was  actually  in 
Eisenburg  meeting  his  fellow-conspirators,  and  would 
have  been  seized  in  the  act  —  had  the  coup  come  off. 
Your  Highness  will  see  the  strength  of  our  position. 
Your  Highness  admitted  it." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Princess  impatiently,  "if  it  had 
succeeded.  But  it  failed." 

The  Chancellor  turned  over  some  papers  in  his  hand. 
"  I  am  in  a  position  to  say  how  it  was  it  failed,"  he  said 
deliberately.  "The  car  which  rescued  the  Prince  has 
been  traced,  and  it  is  found  that  it  was  one  hired  by 
Sir  Philip  Temple." 

Though  he  did  not  appear  to  look  he  was  scanning 
the  Princess's  face,  and  the  sudden  change  on  it  was 
noted  by  him.  He  had  kept  this  piece  of  news  pur- 
posely from  her  for  a  dramatic  moment.  He  had,  of 
course,  known  all  along  to  what  agency  the  escape  of 
the  Prince  must  be  ascribed,  but  he  feigned  now  to 
have  discovered  it  only  after  inquiry  in  order  to  en- 
hance the  effect  of  his  thunderbolt.  The  Princess's 
face  was  an  open  register  of  her  emotions. 

"This  cannot  be  possible,"  she  said,  after  a  moment. 

"I'm  afraid  it  is  true,"  said  the  Chancellor.  "The 
description  of  the  car  tallies,  also  the  description  of 


THE  REGENT'S  GUEST  191 

the  hirer.  The  evidence  of  the  hotel  proprietor  puts 
it  beyond  doubt.  Sir  Philip  hired  a  car  that  night  to  go 
to  Lasheim.  He  was  seen  later  in  Lasheim  and  in 
Eisenburg  on  his  return  by  one  of  my  agents." 

Unexpectedly  the  Princess  turned  on  him.  "He 
has  been  watched  by  your  spies,  Count.  How  long  is 
this  system  of  espionage  to  go  on?  I  am  sick  of  it. 
Spies  !  Spies  !  Spies  !"  She  beat  her  foot  on  the  floor 
restlessly,  and  frowned. 

The  Chancellor's  face  remained  impassive.  He  felt 
that  he  was  winning,  and  he  knew  enough  of  woman 
to  realize  that  the  worst  thing  at  that  juncture  he  could 
do  would  be  to  exculpate  himself  or  to  argue. 

"  It  is  very  regrettable.    I  deplore  it,"  he  murmured. 

"What  is  it  you  want  then?"  demanded  the  Princess 
presently. 

"I  think  it  is  advisable  to  have  Sir  Philip  watched 
carefully,"  said  he,  cautiously  feeling  his  way.  "He 
went  direct  from  the  rescue  of  the  Prince  to  Waldthal, 
and  has  been  seen  at  Baron  Favrinck's  chateau." 

Again  the  Princess  was  silent  for  a  time.  "If  I 

thought  you  were  right "  she  began  slowly,  and 

there  ceased.  "Count,  why  do  you  not  arrest  that 
man?"  she  demanded  suddenly.  "You  have  proofs, 
you  say." 

"If  I  arrested  the  Baron  with  the  Prince  still  in  the 
field,  your  Highness,  I  should  have  a  hornet's  nest 
about  me.  The  Prince  disposed  of,  I  can  do  what  I 
like  with  the  others.  There  is  no  rallying-point.  I 
do  not  say,"  he  went  on  more  slowly,  "that  I  have 
sufficiently  clear  evidence  in  the  case  of  Baron  Fa- 
vrinck  to  put  his  complicity  beyond  doubt.  And  if 
there  was  a  doubt  it  would  raise  Montrais  and  the 


192  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

southern  canton.  Give  me  Albrecht,"  he  ended  grimly, 
"  and  I  '11  answer  for  the  rest.  But  he  escaped." 

Their  eyes  encountered,  and  the  Princess  was  angry 
with  him  as  she  realized  that  he  knew  she  understood 
what  he  intended  to  convey.  It  was  this  Englishman 
who  was  responsible  for  the  disaster  to  their  diplomatic 
game.  Albrecht  was  safe  in  German  territory,  and  the 
stranger  had  dealt  their  statecraft  the  severest  possible 
blow.  The  Princess  rose  to  indicate  the  close  of  the 
audience.  "Your  Excellency  will  kindly  report  to  me 
further  to-morrow,"  she  said. 

Knowing  something  of  the  character  of  English  peo- 
ple, she  instinctively  distrusted  the  Chancellor's  inter- 
pretation of  Temple's  intervention.  Doubtless  he  had 
spoiled  a  striking  coup  d'etat,  which  was  enough  to 
bring  upon  himself  the  severest  displeasure  of  those 
responsible  for  government.  But  she  could  not  believe 
that  he  was  a  party  to  the  plot  which  they  had  only  too 
good  reason  to  suppose  was  being  secretly  hatched 
against  the  present  dynasty.  And  so,  although  she 
would  not  have  signed  that  deportation  order  which 
the  Chancellor  still  carried  among  his  papers,  and  had 
not  yet  ventured  to  present  again,  she  removed  her 
favor  from  the  Englishman,  passing  him  by  with  stern 
and  lofty  coldness  which  left  him  chagrined  and  hurt 
and  bewildered. 

It  was  not  long,  as  may  be  conceived,  before  he  real- 
ized what  had  happened.  The  news  of  his  connection 
with  the  Albrecht  episode  had  reached  her.  The  Chan- 
cellor had  his  revenge  in  part,  and  he  was  to  gain  a 
further  triumph  that  same  afternoon.  He  reported 
to  her  Highness,  according  to  command;  and  among 
other  matters  this : 


THE  REGENT'S  GUEST  193 

"In  reference  to  the  affair  of  the  Englishman,  Sir 
Philip  Temple,  it  has  been  discovered  that  he  is  to  be 
the  guest  of  Baron  Favrinck  from  the  day  after  to- 
morrow, together  with  —  it  is  supposed  —  Count  von 
Hauser." 

"Von  Hauser!"  Alise  repeated,  and  looked  down, 
her  long  dark  bronze  lashes  veiling  her  beautiful  eyes 
for  a  moment. 

"If  this  thould  prove  so,"  she  said,  in  a  hard  voice, 
"I  should  begin  to  think  your  view  was  correct,  Count 
—  I  should  begin  to  think  that  some  step  was  needed." 

There  was  no  triumph  visible  on  the  Count's  face  as 
he  assured  her  of  the  correctness  of  his  information. 
"The  Baron  is  at  Montrais,"  he  added.  "Count  von 
Hauser  is  in  Berlin,  but  returns  to-morrow,  we  under- 
stand. It  looks  like  a  prearranged  meeting." 

"If  it  is  that  there  will  be  necessity  for  action,"  said 
Alise  very  slowly.  "  Will  your  Excellency  kindly  report 
to-morrow?" 

His  Excellency  saluted,  the  smile  that  was  not  visible 
upon  his  face  illuminating  his  heart  as  he  moved  to- 
wards the  door.  The  voice  of  the  Regent  stopped  him. 

"  Will  you  give  me  the  pleasure  of  your  company  at 
dinner  to-night,  Count?"  she  said.  "I  have  a  guest 
I  should  like  to  honor,  one  who  was  good  to  me  when 
a  child,  the  Duke  of  Collingham." 

Nothing  was  visible  again  on  his  Excellency's  white 
face,  but  there  was  an  obvious  interval  before  his  reply 
came,  and  there  was  a  subtle  change  in  the  voice.  It 
had  lost  temporarily  its  measured,  formal  quality. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  obey  your  Highness's  command," 
he  said.  "I  did  not  know  you  had  guests." 

"The  Duke  is  to  arrive  this  afternoon.     He  comes 


194  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

on  the  sad  mission  of  removing  his  son's  body  to  Eng- 
land, to  the  family  mausoleum." 

"A  sad  mission  indeed,"  murmured  his  Excellency, 
and  completed  his  exit. 

Once  in  his  rooms,  he  summoned  a  secretary  sharply. 

"  Why  was  I  not  informed  of  the  arrival  of  the  Duke 
of  Collingham?"  he  demanded  in  a  dry,  clear  voice. 

"Your  Excellency,  there  is  no  such  arrival,"  replied 
the  secretary. 

"Let  me  have  the  reports  of  the  railway  agents," 
said  the  chief,  and  when  they  were  brought  he  examined 
them  carefully.  They  contained  the  names  of  travelers 
entering  Eisenburg  by  the  two  main  lines,  and  the 
Duke's  name  was  not  among  them.  The  explanation 
was  probably  that  the  Duke  had  not  crossed  the  fron- 
tier at  the  time  of  the  reports.  His  name  would  follow. 
But  it  would  be  too  late.  The  Chancellor  had  learned 
it  from  the  Regent.  The  Duke  was  to  be  her  guest ! 
To  every  triumph  there  is  always  the  possibility  of  a 
countervailing  defeat. 

The  white-haired  Duke  arrived  an  hour  later  at 
Waldthal  Station,  and  it  was  after  he  had  made  the 
stranger's  acquaintance  and  was  retiring  for  the  night 
that  the  Chancellor  received  the  railway  agents'  report 
in  which  the  guest's  name  figured.  Cavari  had  found 
him  a  quiet,  courteous  gentleman  with  rather  a  slow 
manner  and  a  melancholy  expression.  He  did  not  esti- 
mate the  Duke's  intelligence  very  highly.  At  the  din- 
ner he  gathered  that  his  Grace's  stay  was  for  two  or 
three  days  only,  and  that  he  was  to  be  the  guest  of  the 
Princess  Regent  for  that  time.  The  conversation  did 
not  touch  painful  topics.  The  Princess  recalled  her 
childish  impression  of  her  guest  and  of  his  beautiful 


THE  REGENT'S  GUEST  195 

country  place;  and  the  Duke  spoke  of  a  frank-eyed, 
white-robed  little  girl  whom  he  had  found  wandering 
in  the  portrait-gallery,  and  who  had  ingenuously  in- 
quired of  him,  "How  long  has  your  house  ruled  the 
country?" 

The  Princess  laughed.  "Did  I  say  that?  How 
rude  and  pert !" 

"  The  exact  place  held  by  the  English  peerage  is  often 
a  puzzle  to  Continentals,"  said  the  Chancellor,  joining 
in.  And  then  followed  some  discussion  of  international 
usages.  Later  in  the  evening,  ere  the  Duke  took  leave 
of  his  hostess  he  put  an  inquiry  to  her. 

"  The  son  of  an  old  friend  of  mine  is  somewhere  here, 
I  'm  told  —  Sir  Philip  Temple." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  he  is  here,"  said  the  Princess,  after 
a  pause.  "At  Waldthal,  I  understand." 

She  would  have  volunteered  further  information  and 
even  have  offered  the  aegis  of  her  hospitality  to  both 
strangers  twenty-four  hours  before.  Now  she  re- 
frained. The  Duke  might  "look  up"  his  countryman 
if  he  wished  on  his  own  account. 

This  was  what  the  Duke  did  on  the  following  after- 
noon. Maintaining  a  brave  appearance  of  stalwart 
age  against  the  advancing  forces  of  decay,  the  old 
gentleman  took  the  road  by  the  outer  circle  of  the  park 
to  the  village.  He  passed  near  by  where  Temple  had 
experienced  his  ludicrous  arrest  a  few  weeks  earlier, 
and,  like  Temple,  he  too  had  his  followers.  These, 
however,  were  not  police-officers,  but  no  other  than 
little  Kuss  and  a  companion,  who  chatted  equably  as 
they  walked  and  kept  his  Grace  in  sight.  They  followed 
him  into  the  village,  and  watched  him  disappear  into 
the  Hotel  du  Cerf. 


196  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Now  as  to  what  took  place  in  the  Hotel  du  Cerf 
between  the  two  Englishmen  neither  little  Kuss  nor 
his  master  might  know.  In  fact,  the  former  made  no 
attempt  to  discover.  He  left  his  duller  companion  as 
sentry,  and  himself  retreated  post-haste  to  the  Castle, 
where  his  news  was  communicated  to  his  Excellency. 

After  Kuss  left  the  Chancellor's  rooms  with  certain 
instructions  that  were  hardly  clerical,  his  Excellency 
remained  at  his  seat  by  his  writing-table  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  with  his  head  supported  on  his  hands, 
gazing  at  the  paper  before  him  and  seeing  nothing. 

Meanwhile,  the  Englishmen,  who  were  strangers  to 
each  other,  greeted  one  another  cordially  in  the  Hotel 
du  Cerf.  Lady  Augusta  was  the  link  between  them, 
and  it  was  impossible  for  Philip  Temple  not  to  be  in- 
terested in  the  personality  of  a  man  who  had  been  a 
suitor  for  his  mother's  hand.  To  him  at  thirty-five 
it  seemed  so  very  far  away,  and  incredible.  He  could 
think  of  his  mother  only  as  his  mother,  and  not  as  a 
blushing  debutante  beset  by  wooers.  He  regarded 
the  stricken,  handsome  face  of  the  older  generation 
before  him  with  a  compassion  as  well  as  interest,  remem- 
bering the  errand  which  had  brought  the  Duke.  Be- 
tween these  two  men,  as  between  the  Princess  and  her 
guest,  no  mention  was  made  of  the  tragedy.  If  the 
Duke  was  strong  enough  to  bear  it,  Temple  was  n't, 
and  so  it  passed.  The  talk  ran  on  Templemore,  Lady 
Augusta,  Eisenburg,  its  domestic  affairs,  and  the 
Princess. 

"  It  is,"  reflected  the  Duke,  "  a  terrible  responsibility 
for  a  young  woman." 

Temple  agreed.  "But  she  has  apparently  both 
courage  and  spirit,"  he  said. 


THE  REGENT'S  GUEST  197 

"I  should  judge  both,"  assented  the  Duke.  "I 
remember  her  as  a  child  quite  well.  She  came  with 
her  aunt,  the  Duchess  of  Carazza.  I  suppose  she  was 
just  in  her  teens.  She  cannot  be  more  than  four-and- 
twenty  now,"  he  ventured. 

Temple  thought  she  was  five-and-twenty.  "She 
has  other  than  German  blood  in  her,  which  explains 
her  vivacity.  There  is  the  South  in  her  blood." 

"Yes;  her  aunt  the  Duchess  was  a  wonderfully 
beautiful  woman."  The  Duke  paused  and  looked  out 
on  the  hills  beyond  the  babbling  Larche.  "You 
have  a  pretty  country  here,"  he  remarked,  and  his 
eyes,  falling  from  their  flight,  descended  upon  the 
Church  of  St.  Michael  and  the  churchyard.  The  old 
face  winced.  "Do  you  stay  long?"  he  asked,  turning 
away  from  the  window. 

"  I  have  no  fixed  plans,"  answered  the  younger  man. 
"I  am  getting  an  insight  into  the  country." 

"Its  politics?"  queried  the  Duke.  "Ah,  I  under- 
stand they  are  feverish.  Isn't  there  a  Pretender?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Temple.  "  I  fancy  the  situation  's  inter- 
esting, but  I  'm  only  an  outsider."  He  too  looked  up 
at  the  hills  in  his  turn.  "To-morrow  I  am  to  pay  a  visit 
to  Baron  Favrinck,  rather  a  picturesque  figure,  as  I 
have  reason  to  know." 

"Indeed!" 

"He  is  mediaeval,  and  he  is  in  the  mesh  of  politics. 
He  is  one  of  the  enigmas  of  Eisenburg,  and,  I  believe, 
is  favorable  to  the  Pretender.  He  is  known  as  the  Boar 
of  the  Odenstock,  a  name  which  fits  him  personally, 
though  derived  from  his  cognizance." 

"The  Boar!"  the  Duke  repeated.  "How  odd! 
It  is  our  crest  also,  a  boar  rampant  passant.  It  would 


198  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

be  a  mistake,  Sir  Philip,  to  become  involved  in  local 
intrigues,  wouldn't  it?"  he  asked  in  a  kindly  and 
almost  paternal  manner. 

"It  would  be  a  great  mistake  unless  it  were  worth 
any  one's  while,"  assented  Temple.  "I  suppose  it  is 
worth  Baron  Favrinck's  while." 

After  some  further  exchanges,  and  a  return  to  the 
topic  of  Lady  Augusta,  the  two  men  parted.  The 
Duke  left  for  England  the  next  day,  and  Temple  saw 
him  off. 

"I  have  done  what  I  came  for,"  he  said,  towards 
the  end.  "I  felt  I  could  not  rest  until  it  was  accom- 
plished. There  are  those  lines  of  Tennyson's,  you 
know: 

To  us,  the  fools  of  habit,  sweeter  seems  .  .  .' 

It  was  his  due." 

It  was  his  only  reference  to  his  mission.  Temple's 
heart  was  sore  for  the  lonely  old  man,  and,  touched 
with  his  emotion,  he  would  have  made  some  vain  but 
kindly  reply,  when  the  Duke's  gray  face  brightened. 

"  Dear  me,  there  is  the  Princess !  I  did  not  expect 

her  to "  He  broke  off,  rising  from  his  seat  and 

descending  weakly  to  the  platform.  "This  is  a 
most  unexpected  and  most  appreciated  honor,  your 
Highness." 

His  hat  took  a  long  sweep  as  he  bowed  after  the 
old  style. 

"Did  you  think  I  was  going  to  let  you  steal  away 
like  this?"  demanded  a  cheerful,  impulsive  voice,  as 
Sir  Philip  turned.  "  Not  if  I  had  to  break  into  a  Council 
meeting.  But  luckily  we  finished  in  time." 

Her  tell-tale  eyes  leaped  to  Temple,  and  froze.    She 


THE  REGENT'S  GUEST  199 

bowed  stiffly  to  his  salutation.  How  could  he  have 
guessed  that  she  had  been  on  the  point  of  signing  his 
deportation  order  at  the  Council  an  hour  since? 

She  chatted  with  the  Duke  until  the  train  went, 
and  Temple  fell  into  the  background  and  waited.  He 
said  good-bye  at  the  last  to  his  countryman  and  moved 
away,  passing  within  a  little  of  the  Princess  and  her 
lady-in-waiting.  Outside  the  station  he  met  the  Chan- 
cellor, and  thought  he  looked  worn  and  old  as  he 
saluted  him.  His  Excellency  made  a  gesture  showing 
that  he  wished  to  speak,  and  Temple  stopped. 

"I  want,  Sir  Philip,  to  renew  my  suggestion  given 
a  week  ago,"  he  said,  in  tones  unusually  harsh. 

"You  did  not  approve  of  the  air  of  Eisenburg  for 
my  health,  wasn't  it?"  inquired  Philip,  smiling. 

"It  can  be  put  that  way.  Your  actions  since  have 
increased  the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate." 

"I  rather  appreciate  the  air.  It  is  invigorating," 
said  Philip  mildly. 

"  It  may  be  too  stimulating,"  replied  the  Chancellor, 
"particularly  on  the  hills."  He  waved  a  hand  towards 
the  Odenstock. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Philip  indifferently. 

The  Chancellor  moistened  his  gray  lips.  "It  was 
my  duty  to  warn  you  in  view  of  a  certain  service  which, 
however,  may  be  now  considered  counterbalanced." 

"It  is  a  service  I  have  never  put  into  the  balance," 
rejoined  the  Englishman,  as  he  lifted  his  hat  and  turned 
on  his  heel. 


CHAPTER  XV 

* 

THE     CAR     BEHIND 

ODO,  Baron  Favrinck,  arrived  from  Montrais  on 
the  following  afternoon,  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  same  day  Count  von  Hauser  hurriedly  left  Berlin 
with  astonishing  news  for  his  confederate.  Philip 
Temple  lunched  at  his  inn,  and  sent  on  his  luggage  in 
the  Baron's  carriage  to  the  Odenstock  in  the  after- 
noon. He  felt  now  that  he  was  so  far  a  suspect  that  it 
was  hardly  worth  while  paying  heed  to  appearances. 
The  Chancellor  menaced  him  overtly,  the  Princess 
ignored  him,  and  he  was  under  close  espionage.  He 
had  begun  to  understand  little  Kuss  ever  since  that 
night  affair  in  Lasheim.  Kuss  had  been  about  the 
village  for  the  past  three  days,  and  he  had  encountered 
the  little  fellow  once  in  the  inn,  and  gravely  saluted 
him.  But  the  espionage  put  Philip  on  his  mettle,  and 
he  was  certainly  not  disposed  to  give  up  his  visit  to  the 
chateau  because  his  movements  were  reported  to  Count 
Cavari.  It  was,  however,  his  luggage  only  that  went 
to  the  chateau,  for  he  remembered  that  he  had  had  no 
letters  for  days,  and  that  his  correspondence  was  lying 
at  the  poste  restante  in  Lasheim.  He  did  not  know 
how  far  the  Baron's  means  of  locomotion  went,  and 
in  any  case  he  did  not  wish  to  trouble  him;  and  so  he 
sent  a  telegram  from  Waldthal  for  a  motor-car.  He 
would  have  a  pleasant  run  through  to  Lasheim,  get 


THE  CAR  BEHIND  201 

his  letters  and  do  some  shopping,  and  then  motor  back 
to  the  chateau  in  the  Odenstock.  Owing  to  the  un- 
certainty of  the  hour  of  the  Baron's  arrival,  his  guest 
was  not  due  there  till  the  evening.  The  car  arrived 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  he  recognized  the 
chauffeur  as  the  man  who  had  driven  him  before. 
This  was  satisfactory,  as  it  rendered  explanations  and 
directions  easier  between  them.  As  it  was  useful  to 
know  the  name  of  a  servant  you  had  found  obliging, 
Philip  inquired  it,  and  found  that  the  man  was  called 
Marken.  He  mounted  the  car  behind  Marken,  and 
waving  his  hand  in  farewell  to  Maillac,  drove  off  down 
the  valley.  At  Eisenburg  he  did  some  shopping  ren- 
dered necessary  by  his  prolonged  stay,  and  then  set 
out  for  Lasheim.  This  time  the  journey  was  made  in 
daylight,  and  as  he  went  the  landscape  was  open  to 
him.  They  ran  through  the  vineyards  across  the  Effel, 
and  through  the  low-lying  country  on  the  German 
border,  reaching  Lasheim  between  six  and  seven. 
Arrived  there,  he  went  to  the  post-office  to  secure  his 
letters,  and  ordered  a  light  refection  at  an  hotel. 
Over  this  he  perused  his  correspondence.  It  had 
accumulated  for  some  days,  and  was  bulky;  but,  as 
he  had  taken  the  precaution  on  last  writing  to  see  that 
no  circulars  or  unnecessary  rubbish  reached  him  abroad, 
he  skimmed  through  it  and  gathered  the  gist  fairly 
quickly.  There  were  letters  from  Lady  Augusta,  from 
his  man  of  business,  the  usual  reports  from  his  steward, 
personal  notes  and  invitations,  all  the  communications 
to  which  he  had  been  accustomed,  and  in  the  midst  a 
vile  scrawl  on  a  dirty  envelope,  with  the  most  fearsome 
misspelling  of  the  foreign  names. 

He  remembered  what  that  would  be,  and  he  opened 


202  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

it  last  of  all.  Mrs.  Jane  Carver  wrote  to  answer  his 
queries.  They  could  hardly,  however,  be  dignified 
with  the  style  of  "answers,"  as  her  letter  was  one 
long  unfinished  sentence,  containing  several  dependent 
or  relative  sentences,  and  a  number  of  wandering  and 
disconsolate  verbs  dislocated  from  their  proper  subjects. 

"...  which  my  lady  was  for  long  at  Capperton 
House  and  she  married  my  Lord  Stroud  him  going 
abroad  with  her  and  my  daughter  and  I  can't  hear 
what  has  happened  to  her  his  Grace  saying  he  would 
inquire  but  not  giving  hope  of  anything  so  I  take  the 
liberty,  kind  sir,  to  write  you  this.  .  .  ." 

It  was  the  only  portion  of  the  letter  that  mattered, 
and  it  did  matter  importantly  in  a  way.  It  shed  light 
on  the  reason  of  the  poor  woman's  action  in  answering 
Temple's  advertisement.  No  longer  could  he  set  hei 
down  as  half-witted  or  as  one  under  the  obsession  of 
an  idea.  She  had  lost  her  daughter  in  the  Waldthal 
railway  accident,  and  her  daughter  had  been  maid  to 
Lady  Stroud.  How  oddly  in  point  of  time  the  letter 
had  arrived !  Had  he  chosen  the  day  previous  to 
make  this  excursion  for  his  correspondence,  Temple 
reflected,  he  would  have  been  able  to  hand  this  piteous 
appeal  to  the  Duke  of  Collingham,  himself  a  man  of 
sorrows.  He  recalled  now  why  the  name  Baystead, 
which  had  arrested  him,  and  vaguely  induced  him  to 
write,  had  been  familiar ;  it  was  the  name  of  the  Duke's 
place  in  the  north.  He  folded  up  the  shabby  piece  of 
paper  and  gathered  his  correspondence.  Probably  the 
poor  woman  had  been  assured  of  her  daughter's  death, 
and  refused  to  believe  on  evidence  which  was  not  mate- 
rialized. Certainly,  he  could  depend  upon  the  Duke 
behaving  sympathetically  to  her  in  her  trouble.  He 


THE  CAR  BEHIND  203 

would  write  to  both,  and  to  the  Duke  forward  this 
touching  scrawl,  which  was  in  its  way  a  human  docu- 
ment. He  paid  his  bill,  and  went  out  into  the  street, 
where  the  evening  air  hung  fine  and  soft  with  a  sprinkle 
of  rain  in  it.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  he  was  speed- 
ing through  the  vineyards  of  eastern  Eisenburg  on  his 
way  to  the  Odenstock.  He  was  not  aware  of  it,  but 
while  he  had  rested  and  read  his  letters  in  the  inn  Count 
von  Hauser  had  crossed  the  frontier,  bound  to  the  same 
destination  as  himself. 

By  the  time  the  car  reached  Eisenburg  it  was  growing 
dark,  and  the  driver  lit  his  lamps  and  swung  out  on 
the  upper  road  through  the  valley.  He  had  suggested 
this  to  Temple  as  a  pleasant  variation  on  the  monotony 
of  the  other  route,  and  his  suggestion  had  been  accepted. 
Five  miles  farther,  however,  it  seemed  as  if  they  had 
made  a  mistake,  for  a  man  stood  in  the  road  and  waved 
a  flag  and  his  arms.  He  jabbered  a  good  deal  in  a 
patois  which  Philip  could  not  follow,  but  Marken  ex- 
plained that  the  man  was  just  there  to  inform  carriage 
traffic  that  the  road  was  under  repair  and  impassable. 

"Shall  we  have  to  go  back?"  asked  Temple. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  Marken.  "There  is  a  road  just 
off  here  which  branches  into  the  Odenstock  and  joins 
the  main  road  farther  on." 

"  Good,  let  us  take  that,"  said  Philip,  throwing  him- 
self back  in  his  seat. 

Marken  steered  the  car  about  and  took  the  turning. 
The  drizzle  continued,  but  was  not  unpleasant,  and 
very  soon  they  entered  the  forest.  Here  they  found 
the  acetylene  lights  useful  among  the  black  shadows 
of  the  trees,  and  the  car  slackened  pace.  Marken  was 
evidently  a  careful  driver.  Gradually  Temple  became 


204  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

conscious  of  a  noise  in  the  air,  and  when  his  senses 
examined  it  he  recognized  it  to  be  the  noise  of  another 
car. 

"Some  one  else  been  diverted,  Marken,"  he 
suggested. 

Marken  supposed  it  was  so.  The  noise  grew  behind 
like  the  buzzing  of  a  fly,  as  the  car  ascended  the  Oden- 
stock  road  on  low  speed,  but  looking  round,  Temple 
could  not  make  out  its  lights.  Marken  suddenly  changed 
the  gear  and  they  shot  out  along  a  level  piece  of  road. 
Temple  calculated  that  they  must  now  be  several 
hundred  feet  above  the  valley,  moving  amid  the  black 
coverts  of  the  pines.  The  car  hummed  along,  and  the 
drizzle  fell;  and  the  car  behind  followed  zealously  in 
the  wake,  its  lights  still  invisible.  Presently  the  road 
ran  down  a  little  descent  into  a  void  of  darkness,  and 
Marken  put  on  the  brakes;  halfway  through  the  car 
stuttered,  pitched,  and  stopped. 

"What  is  it?"  called  out  Temple. 

Marken  was  understood  to  say  that  the  ignition 
must  have  gone  wrong.  Temple  sat  and  waited,  while 
under  the  bonnet  the  man  fingered  and  tested.  The 
next  thing  that  happened  was  that  the  acetylene  lamps 
went  out  suddenly,  as  if  blown  with  a  blast  of  wind. 
Temple  called  out  again,  and  Marken  straightened 
himself. 

"I  shall  have  to  light  the  oil,"  he  said.  "This  is  a 
bad  system  of  carrying  the  acetylene.  I've  told  the 
firm  about  it." 

Temple  nodded;  he  did  not  mind.  It  was  surely 
the  unfortunate  Marken  who  should  mind,  if  any  one 
—  Marken,  on  whom  the  burden  of  the  manual  work 
and  responsibility  fell.  And  then  there  arose  in  the  air 


THE  CAR  BEHIND  205 

and  beat  all  about  them  the  droning  of  the  car  in  the 
rear.  Temple  looked  back  hastily.  If  they  were  show- 
ing no  light  the  people  must  be  warned.  It  was  only 
a  narrow  road,  and  the  wounded  car  was  blocking  it. 
He  rose  in  the  tonneau,  and  as  he  did  so  was  aware 
of  a  black  shadow  bearing  down  upon  them.  The 
car  behind  was  without  lights  also ! 

Swiftly  he  jumped  to  the  ground,  and  shouted  an 
alarm.  The  car  came  to  a  stop  abruptly  a  dozen  yards 
away,  and  out  of  it  swiftly  issued  black  figures.  Temple, 
standing  in  darkness  himself,  looked  up  towards  a 
little  denser  gloom,  and  saw  them  more  clearly  than 
he  was  visible.  It  was  the  running  figures  that  sounded 
a  warning.  Why  should  they  rush  down  towards  the 
injured  car  like  footpads  closing  on  a  victim?  He 
backed,  moved  aside  among  the  pines,  and  felt  in  his 
pocket  for  the  revolver  he  had  carried  now  for  some 
time.  The  foremost  figure  had  followed  his  movements, 
and  darted  off  the  road  with  a  cry  to  his  companion. 
Temple  shrank  into  the  abysmal  blackness  which  the 
trees  made.  Apparently  this  maneuver  disconcerted 
the  man,  for  he  paused,  and  then,  realizing  how  fool- 
ishly he  had  begun  in  alarming  his  prey,  he  called  out : 

"  Sir  Philip  Temple !  I  am  the  bearer  of  important 
news." 

Philip  in  the  shadows  was  passing  a  finger  gently 
along  the  barrel  of  his  Mauser,  and  no  answer  came 
from  him. 

It  was  manifest  to  him  that  the  position  could  not 
be  maintained,  for  he  had  seen  three  figures  descend 
from  the  car,  and  it  was  known  that  he  was  somewhere 
in  the  clump  of  trees.  A  determined  approach  from 
three  quarters  must  inevitably  discover  him,  which 


206  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

was  why  he  held  his  Mauser  pistol  and  was  passing  his 
fingers  along  the  barrel  without  being  aware  of  that 
action.  Of  everything  without,  however,  he  was  fully 
aware. 

He  was  aware  that  one  of  the  figures  was  retreating 
towards  the  car,  and  that  the  others  kept  their  places 
one  on  each  side  of  the  clump  of  trees.  He  was  aware, 
too,  of  a  lighted  match  in  the  roadway,  and  then  of  a 
pool  of  light  upon  it;  and  he  was  aware  next  of  a  big 
glare  that  fell  upon  the  edge  of  the  forest  out  of  the 
acetylene  lamp.  It  fell  upon  his  ambush  and  exhibited 
him  to  his  enemies  as  pitilessly  as  the  sun.  Even  as  the 
flash  came  and  he  realized  its  meaning  he  had  moved. 
He  moved  almost  as  he  was  discovered,  springing  forth 
at  one  of  the  waiting  figures  beyond  the  track  of  the 
searchlight.  His  rush  carried  him  precipitately  through 
the  zone  of  light  into  darkness  beyond,  and  took  the 
man  by  surprise.  He  had  not  expected  so  sudden  and 
decisive  a  movement  and  he  was  unprepared  for  it. 
He  put  up  a  hand  weakly,  and  there  was  a  report, 
but  Temple  was  not  deflected  from  his  course.  As  he 
passed  he  shot  the  man  through  the  shoulder  so  that  he 
dropped  his  weapon  and  cried  out.  A  shot  from  one 
of  the  other  men  followed,  but  spent  itself  aimlessly  in 
the  wood.  Temple  ran,  a  discernible  fleeting  shadow, 
deeper  into  shadows. 

He  ran  with  what  speed  it  was  possible  for  a  man  in 
rather  heavy  wraps  to  attain  on  a  dark  night  and  through 
impeded  and  unknown  country ;  and  in  his  wake  streamed 
the  pursuit.  The  way  was  upwards,  and  the  slope  was 
less  thickly  timbered  as  he  progressed,  which  was  un- 
fortunate for  the  fugitive.  He  looked  back  once  or 
twice,  but  each  time  saw  signs  of  the  pursuers  and  did 


THE  CAR  BEHIND  207 

not  relax  his  efforts.  He  loosed  his  overcoat  as  he  lum- 
bered along,  and  would  have  stopped  to  throw  it  off 
if  he  had  dared;  but  the  propinquity  of  the  enemy 
rendered  this  step  dangerous.  And  so  the  chase  went 
on  for  a  matter  of  fifteen  minutes,  by  which  time  Tem- 
ple, muscular  and  well  trained  as  he  was,  was  nearly 
spent.  The  weight  he  had  to  carry  dragged  him  down, 
and  in  the  darkness  he  staggered  and  stumbled  over 
unseen  obstacles.  Once  he  went  down  altogether, 
and  another  time  he  was  caught  and  nearly  choked 
by  a  trailing  branch  in  the  path.  He  recognized  that 
he  could  not  maintain  his  flight  if  the  enemy  did  not 
soon  tire.  So  far  they  had  kept  on  his  track  persistently. 
He  wondered  if  it  would  be  better  to  turn  and  make  a 
stand  before  his  breath  was  quite  out  and  his  limbs 
were  wholly  exhausted.  He  had  almost  decided  that 
it  would  be  wise  to  do  so  when,  taking  a  slight  incline 
downwards,  he  came  upon  what  looked  in  the  darkness 
like  the  outlines  of  a  tall  Indian  ieepee.  A  moment 
later  he  made  it  out;  it  was  a  charcoal-burner's  hut, 
such  as  he  had  seen  in  the  upper  Odenstock.  He  paused, 
swerved,  and  ran  for  the  entrance. 

Scarcely  twenty  yards  had  separated  him  from  the 
foremost  of  his  pursuers,  and  this  man  now  reached 
the  hut,  and  he  too  paused.  The  darkness  had  not 
been  so  great  as  to  prevent  his  seeing  Temple's  strata- 
gem. He  paused  and  seemed  to  consider.  His  compan- 
ion was  some  thirty  yards  away,  and  Temple,  recognizing 
this,  lifted  his  pistol.  To  separate  and  destroy  a  force 
in  detail  was,  he  remembered,  an  axiom  of  warfare. 
If  he  shot  this  man  before  his  ally  could  come  up,  he 
would  be  in  a  position  to  deal  with  the  latter.  As  he 
lifted  his  arm  the  man  appeared  instinctively  to  realize 


208  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

his  action.  He  dropped  down  behind  a  tree-stump, 
which  concealed  him.  Temple  made  no  foolish  attempt 
to  "bag"  him  there,  but  turned  his  attention  elsewhere. 
He  threw  off  his  encumbering  overcoat,  and  felt  about 
the  hut  with  his  hand.  It  was  made  of  wood  and  water- 
proofed with  slabs  of  earth,  was  nearly  circular  in  shape, 
and  had  a  small  opening  at  the  top  to  let  out  the  smoke 
of  a  fire.  It  was  evidently  untenanted,  for  he  could 
find  no  trace  of  furniture  or  utensil  in  it.  Perhaps  it 
had  long  been  deserted. 

He  had  hardly  made  his  investigation  when  the 
second  man  arrived,  and  dropped  beside  his  comrade. 
The  third  man  he  supposed  he  had  put  out  of  action. 
The  two  made  no  sign  for  a  time,  for  which  Temple 
was  thankful,  as  it  enabled  him  to  regain  his  breath. 
Probably  the  two  behind  the  tree-stump  were  glad  to  do 
the  same.  But  presently  one  of  the  figures  appeared  sil- 
houetted against  the  sky  for  a  moment,  and  then  slowly 
loped  off  in  the  direction  from  which  it  had  arrived. 
Clearly  they  had  decided  upon  some  plan  of  campaign, 
and  until  he  returned  there  was  to  be  a  truce.  Temple 
with  an  eye  on  the  stump  resumed  his  exploration  of 
the  hut.  With  his  knife  he  cut  into  the  earth  and  timber 
in  the  rear,  and  though  the  impression  on  that  conglom- 
erate was  not  deep,  he  saw  that  it  needed  only  sufficient 
time  to  open  a  hole  at  the  back.  He  set  himself  to  do 
this  at  once,  and  had  succeeded  in  removing  most  of  the 
earth  in  a  gap  between  two  stout  stakes  when  his  at- 
tention was  engaged  by  a  movement  at  the  tree-stump. 
The  man  hidden  there  had  left  his  post  and  was  creeping 
away  to  the  back  and  out  of  Temple's  line  of  sight. 
This  maneuver  alarmed  him.  Should  he  fire  and 
chance  the  risk  of  losing  one  of  his  precious  cartridges  ? 


THE  CAR  BEHIND  209 

The  ground  was  uneven  and  offered  plenty  of  oppor- 
tunities for  cover,  so  that  the  probabilities  were  against 
his  finding  the  mark.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  was 
hazardous  to  lose  sight  of  his  man.  He  fired  and 
brought  the  figure  to  a  halt;  his  shot  must  have  gone 
close,  for  it  evidently  frightened  the  man,  who  fell 
behind  a  bush.  And  thus  they  remained  for  ten  minutes 
more  in  which  only  the  silence  and  night  prevailed. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  a  flash  of  light  fell  on  the  immedi- 
ate foreground  and  traveled  towards  the  hut.  It  was 
the  searchlight,  for  which  the  second  man  had  doubt- 
less returned  to  the  car.  Voices  were  heard  in  excited 
talk,  and  Temple  tried  to  make  out  the  newcomer,  but 
all  that  was  clear  was  that  he  had  come  by  higher 
ground  and  was  now  above  the  level  of  the  hut's  door- 
way. The  shafts  of  the  light  raked  the  wretched  cabin, 
and,  creeping  farther  round  as  the  man  moved,  dazzled 
Temple.  He  was  in  the  full  glare  of  it  unexpectedly 
now,  and  he  fired  straight  at  the  distant  focus;  but  his 
eyes  were  blinded,  and  it  was  like  firing  into  lightning. 
He  missed.  There  rang  out  on  his  report  another,  and 
he  guessed  what  they  intended.  He  was  a  fair  target 
now  for  any  marksman.  Happily  this  was  not  a  marks- 
man, for  the  bullet  imbedded  itself  in  the  earth  of  the 
hovel.  Temple  withdrew  into  the  recesses,  which  shut 
him  off  from  seeing  what  went  on  without.  The  hut 
was  alive  with  light,  and  the  oppressive  glare  swallowed 
up  everything  else.  There  was  nothing  but  light  in 
the  place,  light  and  dazzlement.  It  was  fiendish.  The 
plight  was  desperate.  Under  cover  of  those  merciless 
rays  the  enemy  could  approach.  Temple  held  his 
pistol  ready.  He  was  in  a  little  corner  of  shadow  which 
the  searchlight  could  not  reach,  and  he  waited.  As 


210  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

he  had  guessed,  the  attempt  was  made,  but  to  his  aston- 
ishment it  was  two  men  who  broke  into  the  but.  The 
searchlight  must  obviously  be  in  the  hands  of  a  third, 
possibly  the  man  he  had  wounded,  or  even  —  the 
thought  of  Marken  was  an  instantaneous  flash  in  his 
brain  as  he  met  the  onset.  The  first  man  went  down 
before  the  unerring  bullet,  fell  to  his  knees  cursing, 
and  as  he  did  so  flung  his  pistol  savagely  forward.  It 
took  Temple  on  the  side  of  the  head.  The  other  man's 
shot  struck  him  in  the  body  at  the  same  time,  and  he 
spread  out  his  arms  helplessly  and  staggered  drunkenly 
for  a  little  ere  he  fell  on  his  face,  his  fair  English  hair 
rumpled  and  disordered  within  the  shafts  of  the  ruth- 
less light. 

The  second  man  stooped  and  turned  him  over  on 
his  back  roughly. 

"Is  he  dead?  Finish  him,"  said  his  companion, 
cursing  with  his  pain. 

"  He 's  finished,"  said  the  other,  unbuttoning  the 
coat  of  his  victim.  "  I  don't  miss  at  close  quarters  like 
that.  I  drew  straight  on  his  heart." 

The  wounded  man  continued  his  curses,  holding  a 
hand  to  his  groin.  His  comrade  was  turning  out  the 
pockets  of  their  quarry.  The  lamp  glare  now  wavered, 
and  threw  the  searcher  into  black  shadow.  He  too 
cursed  at  that;  but  the  light  streamed  on  him  again. 

"Bring  it  in,"  he  shouted 

At  his  words  a  man,  with  a  terrified  face,  came  into 
the  hut.  It  was  Marken.  The  lamp  he  held  swung  in 
a  trembling  hand.  The  searcher  continued  his  work; 
the  man  in  the  corner  was  swearing  weakly. 

"  Get  it,  and  get  me  out  of  this,"  he  urged.  "  I  believe 
I'm  done." 


THE  CAR  BEHIND  211 

"This  is  it  by  the  postmark.    It's  plain  enough." 

The  searcher  replaced  a  packet  in  Temple's  coat 
pocket.  "  He  can  have  those,"  he  said  with  grim  humor, 
"  or  rather  the  flame  can."  He  turned  briskly,  an  alert, 
authoritative  figure  with  narrow  eyes  and  a  cruel, 
dogged  face.  "Can  you  walk?"  he  asked  sharply. 

The  wounded  man  staggered  to  his  feet.  "No," 
he  said  feebly. 

"You  must  walk  as  far  as  the  cars.  Marken  will 
assist,"  said  the  other  callously. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  inquired  his  comrade. 

"I  have  a  little  business  first,  but  it  won't  take  long." 

Marken  assisted  the  wounded  man  out  into  the  open, 
and  the  leader  of  the  three  took  the  lamp.  He  put  it 
out,  and  emptied  the  contents  upon  the  walls  of  the 
hut.  Then  he  struck  a  match  and  fired  them.  The 
blaze  shot  up  to  heaven  as  he  turned  away,  leaving  the 
body  of  their  victim  on  the  floor  of  the  burning  hovel. 

By  the  irony  of  chance  the  means  he  had  chosen  to 
cover  the  tracks  of  their  crime  actually  revealed  it. 
A  party  of  foresters  in  the  employment  of  Baron  Fa- 
rinck  was  abroad  that  night,  and  the  fire  was  detected 
towards  the  lower  Odenstock.  Fires  to  a  forester  are 
the  most  dreaded  of  all  calamities,  and  it  is  recognized 
that  all  the  forces  that  can  be  mustered  shall  at  once  be 
trained  against  the  devouring  enemy.  Hence  a  move- 
ment was  made  forthwith  in  the  direction  of  the  con- 
flagration, and  one  Hugo  arrived  first  on  the  scene. 

"  Pah !  it  is  only  Stahbeck's  winter  hut,"  he  called 
out,  as  he  approached  it  indifferently. 

It  stood  in  a  clearing,  and  it  was  not  likely  that  the 
fire  would  spread.  Nevertheless,  the  obligation  of  put- 
ting it  out  was  entailed  on  them;  and  the  men  armed 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

themselves  with  thick  branches  broken  from  the  leafier 
trees  wherewith  to  beat  out  the  flames.  They  had  been 
engaged  at  this  work  for  some  time  when  Hugo  called 
out.  He  had  seen  something  odd.  One  of  his  fellows 
came  to  his  call,  and  both  bent  down.  Odd  it  was, 
indeed !  In  a  gap  between  two  heavy  pieces  of  timber 
that  went  to  make  the  framework  of  the  hut  protruded 
a  human  head.  Hugo  and  his  companion  shouted  to 
the  others,  who  came  round  to  view  the  spectacle. 

"This  is  the  man  who  did  it,"  pronounced  Karl 
decidedly.  "He  has  perished,  being  drunk.  It  is 
justice." 

"No,"  said  young  Hugo.  "He  has  not  perished, 
see !  There  is  a  movement.  He  has  been  trying  to 
crawl  out." 

The  others  exclaimed,  and  Karl,  using  a  huge  strength, 
tore  aside  one  of  the  stakes,  thus  widening  the  gap. 
Burning  sticks  and  thatch  were  falling  within  the  hut. 
Carefully  two  of  the  foresters  extracted  the  body,  and 
removed  it  to  a  place  of  safety. 

"It  is  the  Englishman,"  said  Hugo.  "I  recognize 
him.  He  was  fishing  by  his  Excellency's  permission 
in  the  Larche  waters." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PIECES   IN   THE    PUZZLE 

COUNT  VON  HAUSER  entered  the  Baron's 
room,  in  which  the  latter  sat  writing. 

"It  will  be  wiser,  I  think,  to  send  to  Lasheim,"  he 
said. 

"I  have  already  sent,"  said  the  Baron  bluntly. 

Von  Hauser  nodded.  If  he  had  no  special  appre- 
ciation of  brute  force,  he  at  least  valued  decision.  He 
sank  into  a  chair. 

"It  is  an  interesting  episode,  and,  I  will  confess, 
puzzles  me,"  he  went  on.  "I  don't  think  such  deter- 
mination has  ever  been  equalled  in  modern  times. 
Cavari  must  be  terribly  scared." 

"Of  what?"  asked  the  Baron. 

"  Ah,  how  I  wish  I  knew !  But  that  makes  it  more 
interesting.  It  is  positively  enchanting.  I  wonder 
if  our  friend  will  be  able  to  shed  any  light  on  it  now." 

"It  is  beyond  question,"  said  the  Baron,  dropping 
his  pen,  "  that  he  was  lured  to  the  hut  and  then  assailed 
and  left  for  dead.  The  hut  was  then  fired.  The  tracks 
of  motor-cars  were  found  by  Karl  on  the  upper  Wald- 
thal  road." 

"  There  is  an  injury  to  the  head,"  said  Von  Hauser, 
"and  the  silver  coin  in  the  pocket  was  carried  into  the 
flesh.  The  coin  alone  saved  him,  for  it  was  over  a  vital 
region.  The  smoke  almost  asphyxiated  the  unfortu- 
nate man,  but  he  is  coming  to  slowly." 


214  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"  I  have  begun,"  said  the  Baron  grimly,  "  to  take  an 
interest  in  your  Englishman." 

"He  is  worth  it,"  murmured  Von  Hauser.  "  I  always 
told  you  he  was  worth  it." 

"Meanwhile  we  have  this  advantage,"  pursued  his 
friend,  "that  Cavari  will  suppose  him  dead." 

"That  is  why  I  wanted  the  Lasheim  doctor,"  put 
in  Von  Hauser. 

"He  should  arrive  within  three  hours.  I  sent  the 
40-h.p.  car,"  responded  the  other. 

Von  Hauser  had  reached  the  chateau  early  in  the 
evening,  and  had  dined  with  his  friend.  He  had  brought 
him  also  wonderful  news.  Prince  Albrecht,  whose 
activities  no  diplomacy  could  restrain,  had  crossed  the 
border  and  seized  the  Castle  of  Sturm  which  had  be- 
longed to  his  ancestors.  This  Castle  had  been  escheated 
by  Louis  XXI,  but  the  Suabian  house  had  never  aban- 
doned its  claims  to  it.  No  action  had  been  taken  since 
the  escheatment,  sixty  years  previously,  but  Albrecht 
and  his  ancestors  had  always  styled  themselves  as 
princes  of  Sturm  and  Suabia.  And  now  this  hot-head 
had  lightly  seized  the  Castle.  It  had  never  been  put 
to  any  use  by  the  Wolfgangs,  who  merely  kept  a  governor 
and  a  small  garrison  in  it,  but  no  one  in  his  senses 
anticipated  any  such  violent  act  as  this  seizure.  The 
news  stirred  the  somber  depths  of  the  Baron. 

"By  Heaven,"  he  thundered,  slapping  his  thigh, 
"that  is  the  man  for  Eisenburg !" 

Von  Hauser  was  more  cautious  in  his  judgment, 
but  even  he  was  inclined  to  think  that  the  move  was 
good. 

"  It  leaves  us,"  he  said  cynically,  "  in  the  position  of 
seizing  what  belongs  to  us,  and  diverts  attention  from 


PIECES  IN  THE  PUZZLE  215 

our  claim  to  what  does  not  belong  to  us.  To  let  Europe 
think  Albrecht  is  only  taking  what  he  has  been  cheated 
of  is  to  create  a  sympathy  for  him  which  would  be 
denied  if  he  was  supposed  to  be  a  pretender.  Yes, 
Baron,  we  have  by  this  impulsive  act  converted  our 
pretender  into  a  claimant." 

The  excitement  among  Albrecht's  partisans  was 
proportionate  to  their  ignorance  of  what  Cavari  would 
do.  They  awaited  his  counter-stroke  impatiently. 
The  small  garrison  at  Sturm  had  been  overpowered, 
and  the  Castle  was  held  by  Albrecht  himself  and  his 
retainers.  These  were  ostensibly  unarmed,  but  every 
one  knew  that  they  were  the  nucleus  of  Albrecht's 
revolutionary  army.  By  the  Baron's  orders  two  hundred 
men  from  Montrais  were  even  now  on  their  way  to 
reinforce  the  new  garrison.  It  was  late  ere  the  two  men 
retired  to  rest,  and  in  the  meantime  Temple  returned 
to  consciousness  in  a  dim-lit  room.  He  had  some 
difficulty  in  remembering  what  had  happened.  His 
surroundings  were  strange  —  the  carved  oakwork  on 
the  walls,  the  rich  bed-hangings,  the  great  space  of  the 
chamber,  the  woman  who  sat  in  the  half-light  on  a 
chair  dozing. 

He  uttered  some  unintelligible  sound,  and  she 
straightened  herself,  rose,  and  came  forward. 

"You  are  awake,  sir?"  She  put  her  cool  hand  on 
his.  She  was  a  woman  of  middle  age,  with  a  kindly 
face. 

"  Where "  began  Philip,  and  came  to  a  halt. 

"  This  is  his  Excellency  the  Baron  Favrinck's  house 
of  the  Odenstock,"  said  she,  interpreting  his  unfin- 
ished question.  "  You  have  been  injured,  and  were 
brought  in  by  the  foresters." 


216  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"Ah!"  The  events  of  the  night  came  streaming 
back  to  him  in  a  vision.  He  remembered.  The  last 
thing  he  remembered  was  a  man  falling  to  his  knees 
in  a  blaze  of  light.  Stay;  no.  He  recalled  some- 
thing else.  What  was  it?  He  was  dragging  himself 
along  the  earth  with  a  terrible  stupor  in  his  head, 
and  his  throat  full  of  bitter  smoke.  He  was  crawl- 
ing on  his  side,  with  a  pain  at  his  heart  —  and 
then  oblivion. 

He  asked  no  further  question,  but  shut  his  eyes. 
The  woman  turned.  She  had  heard  a  noise  in  the 
night,  and  she  moved  to  the  door.  Philip  fell  away 
into  unconsciousness  again.  There  was  a  sound  of 
the  opening  of  doors,  and  presently  footsteps  approached 
from  without.  A  servant  entered. 

"It  is  the  doctor,"  he  whispered  across  the  twilight. 

The  doctor  nodded.  "It  is  all  right,"  he  said  in 
German,  and  he  went  forward  to  the  bed.  His  capable 
hands  passed  over  Temple's  pulse. 

"Ah!"  he  said,  and  beckoned  the  nurse  to  bring 
the  light  nearer.  For  some  minutes  he  stared  down 
at  the  patient's  face. 

Philip,  his  brain  moving  dully  under  a  fog  of  sleep, 
was  aroused  by  the  pulling  down  of  the  sheet  from 
across  his  chest.  He  opened  his  eyes,  and  made  a  weak 
resistance  with  a  gurgled  remonstrance. 

"Come,  there  is  nothing  to  harm  you.  We  shan't 
be  long,"  said  the  doctor. 

Philip  closed  his  eyes.  He  did  not  struggle.  There 
was  a  terrible  smell  of  acrid  smoke  in  his  nostrils;  his 
eyes  smarted  with  it.  He  was  in  the  hut;  no,  the  hut 
merged  into  something  else. 

What  was  it?    A  railway-carriage,  burning  and  full 


PIECES  IN  THE  PUZZLE  217 

of  pungent  smoke.  A  tall,  authoritative  man  rose  out 
of  it  all. 

"Poor  devil!  he'll  want  no  attention." 

Was  that  said  over  him?  He  struggled  to  open  his 
eyes  and  protest.  Yes,  there  was  the  tall,  authoritative 
form  sitting  now  on  a  chair  and  not  standing.  Some- 
thing flashed  along  the  lines  of  communication  in  his 
brain. 

"  Poor  devil !  .  .  ."  The  memory  of  that  voice  in 
so  critical  a  moment  returned. 

"You  were  in  the  accident?"  he  got  out  weakly. 

The  doctor  nodded  kindly.  "You  mustn't  talk," 
he  commanded,  and  went  on  with  his  examination. 
Almost  before  he  had  finished  the  patient  had  again 
relapsed  into  sleep. 

When  Philip  awoke  again  it  was  full  day,  and  the 
nurse  was  in  the  room.  The  doctor  had  rested  and 
had  a  meal,  and  he  was  to  inspect  the  patient  again 
before  he  left.  Philip  was  much  recovered.  He  had 
suffered  more  from  shock  and  the  asphyxiation  by  the 
fumes  of  the  fire  than  from  material  physical  damage 
by  the  bravo's  bullet.  He  was  well  enough  to  have  a 
clear  retrospect  now,  and  his  vocal  cords  had  gained 
strength.  He  greeted  the  doctor  briefly  and  husbanded 
himself.  When  the  examination  was  over  he  inquired 
the  verdict. 

"As  you  are  a  strong  man,  of  good  constitution  and 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  as  I  should  judge  from  your 
complexion  you  have  lived  temperately,  I  don't  think 
you  will  eventually  experience  any  lasting  ill-effects. 
But  you  owe  your  life  to  a  coin  apparently."  He  mused. 
"We  speak  of  that,  don't  we?  Lives  often  depend  on 
the  toss  of  a  coin." 


218  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

He  smiled  at  his  witticism. 

"You  were  in  the  railway  accident  at  Waldthal, 
doctor?"  said  Philip,  clinging  to  his  point. 

"Yes,"  assented  the  doctor.    "How  did  you  know?" 

"I  too  was  there." 

"You  seem  to  have  had  bad  luck,"  remarked  the 
doctor. 

Philip  looked  at  him,  and  through  him.  "Yes," 
he  assented  dreamily,  and  then,  recalling:  "I  asked 
you  if  I  could  do  anything ;  I  remember  you  said  of  one 
man,  'Poor  devil !  he'll  need  no  attention.'" 

"Did  I?"  said  the  doctor,  smiling. 

"I  saw  you  in  the  dusk  of  the  night  and  the  fires. 
I  pulled  a  woman  out  of  the  wreckage.  Do  you  re- 
member I  seized  you  by  the  arm  and  made  you  look  at 
her?" 

The  doctor  appeared  to  be  reflecting.  He  was  gazing 
out  through  the  window  at  the  sunlit  garden.  "I 
believe,"  he  began  slowly  —  "  I  think  I  recall.  .  .  . 
You  speak  German  well,  but  with  an  accent."  He 
broke  off  to  look  at  Temple  on  the  bed.  "You're 
English?" 

Temple  assented.  "Yes,  you  are  that  Englishman 
then  who  would  not  be  denied  —  the  importunate 
Englishman.  I  remember  now.  Yes,  yes." 

Philip  was  feeling  tired  with  the  effort  of  talking  and 
exerting  his  mind;  he  gazed  at  the  doctor  in  silence. 

"You  must  go  slow,"  said  the  latter.  "There  is  no 
danger.  You  will  be  able  to  get  about  soon  enough, 
but  don't  force  it."  He  rose,  and  put  out  a  big  hand. 
"Yes,  it  is  odd  how  we  have  encountered  in  two  crises," 
he  said.  "You  have  had  ill  luck.  By  the  way,  did 
that  poor  woman  recover?" 


PIECES  IN  THE  PUZZLE  219 

"No,"  said  Philip. 

"I  was  afraid  she  would  not.  The  shock  in  her 
condition " 

"Her  condition?"  repeated  Philip  softly,  inquiringly. 

"She  was,  as  I  suppose  you  saw,  in  a  very  deli- 
cate state,  far  advanced  towards  motherhood.  Poor 
woman ! " 

He  smiled  in  a  friendly  way  at  Philip  and  left  the 
room,  taking  the  nurse  with  him.  Philip  dozed.  "  Poor 
woman!"  "Poor  devil!"  "Poor  woman!"  The 
phrases  alternated  in  his  weary  brain. 

By  midday,  however,  he  was  greatly  better,  and  able 
to  appreciate  a  visit  from  Von  Hauser.  The  Count 
was  cheery  and  even  affectionate.  He  congratulated 
Temple  on  his  escape,  as  by  a  miracle,  and  without 
further  beating  about  the  bush  plunged  into  the  heart 
of  the  mystery.  The  Count  saw  no  use  in  wasting  time 
when  he  was  sure  of  his  ground.  He  made  his  inquiry, 
and  Temple  told  his  story. 

"An  assault,  my  dear  Sir  Philip,  which  meant,  I 
assume,  murder.  You  were  to  be  disposed  of." 

"It  looked  like  it,"  agreed  Philip. 

"Taken  in  sequence  with  other  events,  there  is  no 
doubt  in  your  mind,  I  take  it." 

"None  whatever,"  assented  the  other.  "But,  on 
the  other  hand,  I  have  no  explanation  to  offer." 

"Ah!"  Von  Hauser  stroked  his  beard.  "What  a 
pity !  It  robs  us  of  our  climax,  does  n't  it  ?  These 
men  were  —  what  ?  " 

"It  was  too  dark  to  see  much.  I  can  only  say  that 
they  were  men,"  said  Philip  with  a  smile.  "They 
did  n't  carry  either  their  names  or  their  addresses  or 
their  motives  on  their  sleeves." 


220  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Von  Hauser  made  a  deprecating  gesture,  gently.  "  I 
only  referred  to  any  theory  you  might  have,"  he  said. 

"I  don't  think  I  have  any,"  answered  Temple, 
pulling  his  brows  into  a  frown.  "But  I  fancy  I  may 
have  one  presently.  There  seems  to  be  something  to 
put  together."  He  passed  a  hand  over  his  forehead. 

"Pray  don't  worry  •  yourself," .  said  Von  Hauser 
softly.  "If  there  is  anything  it  will  come  again.  We 
shall  add  it  up  all  right.  In  the  meantime  let  me  tell 
you  that  Baron  Favrinck  has  not  called  in  the  police." 

A  smile  struggled  over  Temple's  face.  "I  wonder 
why." 

"Well,  we  too  put  things  together,"  explained  Von 
Hauser.  "You  see,  you  are  not  making  your  destiny; 
it  is  being  thrust  upon  you.  Fate  is  using  you,  or  per- 
haps it  is  Count  Cavari.  '  Moab  is  my  washpot.'  Never 
mind.  We  have  this  in  reserve.  Your  case  is  not  going 
to  be  reported  by  the  police." 

"You    suspected — something?"    inquired   Temple. 

"  I  put  two  and  two  together.  It  may  be  an  accident 
only,  but  then  it  may  not.  You  have  been  singularly 
unfortunate  in  your  accidents.  I  think  you  had  better 
disappear,  to  cheat  Providence,  which  at  present  seems 
malevolent.  What  do  you  say,  Sir  Philip?" 

"I  don't  think  I  am  much  in  the  state  to  assert  my- 
self," said  Philip,  smiling 

It  was  not  until  next  day  that,  feeling  much  recovered, 
he  devoted  some  time  to  the  consideration  of  his  own 
curious  case.  He  had  plenty  of  time  in  which  to  do 
so.  There  was  a  service  of  literature,  books,  magazines, 
and  journals  at  his  disposal,  but  his  hand  was  too  tired 
to  hold  the  heavier  articles,  and  his  eyes,  inflamed  with 
smoke,  grew  dim  over  the  print.  So  he  was  obliged  to 


think,  when  he  was  not  sleeping  or  talking.  He  talked 
with  his  extemporized  nurse,  whose  name  was  Bertha. 
She  was  a  kindly,  broad-faced  woman  of  forty-five, 
who  had  served  as  sewing-maid  to  the  late  Baroness 
Favrinck,  and  she  was  Dutch  in  build  and  mind.  She 
knitted  as  she  sat  by  his  bed,  and  talked  with  him  in  a 
dialectical  German^  ^ 

The  Baroness  had  been  a  very  gentle  lady  from 
Silesia,  very  patient,  and  much  grieving  that  she  bore 
no  child.  The  estates  would  go,  believed  Bertha,  to 
his  Excellency's  nephew,  a  wild  young  man  in  Paris. 
She  had  been  in  his  Excellency's  service  for  twenty 
long  years.  Her  home  was  in  Gralotz,  but  her  sister's 
husband  lived  in  Waldthal.  She  had  a  niece  in  service 
at  the  Castle.  Carlotta  was  a  good  girl,  and  was  one 
of  the  under-nurses.  So  she  whiled  away  the  long  hours 
for  the  injured  man. 

In  those  days  of  his  convalescence,  as  his  strength 
and  vitality  returned,  his  mind  began  to  resume  its 
edge  and  keenness.  He  turned  over  in  review  the  events 
of  his  stay  in  the  grand-duchy.  They  bore  more  than 
ever  a  sinister  aspect.  He  had  not  a  doubt  that  the 
chauffeur,  Marken,  had  been  in  alliance  with  his  mur- 
derous assailants,  and  he  had  acquainted  Von  Hauser 
with  his  suspicion.  That  astute  plotter  returned  with 
an  excellent  reputation  for  Marken. 

"He  is  said  to  be  an  honest,  hard-working  fellow, 
much  devoted  to  his  business,  and  very  patriotic." 

Von  Hauser's  eyes  contained  a  tiny  twinkle.  "He 
has  been  somewhat  unwell  lately,  and  his  employers  have 
given  him  leave  of  absence.  They  too  are  patriotic." 

"I  understand,"  said  Temple,  and  he  did. 

It  was,  in  fine,  the  latest  of  the  Chancellor's  attempts, 


222  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

and  his  bitterness  grew  with  his  returning  strength. 
It  was  war,  not  open  war  on  the  Chancellor's  part,  but 
a  dastardly  secret  war,  the  private  campaign  of  bravoes. 
Well,  he  accepted  it.  Anon,  his  thoughts  swung  round  to 
the  Lasheim  doctor,  and  his  revelation.  It  shed  new  light 
on  an  old  tragedy.  The  unfortunate  woman  who  had 
died  in  Waldthal  Castle  had  not  been  alone  in  her  death. 
That  reminded  him  of  something  else.  He  begged 
Bertha  to  search  his  coat  for  his  letters,  and  he  turned 
them  over  on  the  counterpane  of  his  bed,  as  he  sat  in 
it  propped  with  pillows.  He  read  the  letter  from  his 
mother  again.  It  seemed  like  a  return  to  life  and  a  new 
and  pleasant  world,  full  of  fresh  flowers  and  the  spring. 
But  he  was  hunting  for  something  else.  There  were 
stains  of  blood  on  the  envelopes,  his  own  blood.  He 
felt  at  his  heart  thankfully;  it  was  beating  regularly, 
and  he  was  warm  and  alive.  But  where  was  the  letter 
which  he  had  skimmed  in  Lasheim?  He  found  no 
trace  of  it.  The  other  letters  showed  signs  of  disturb- 
ance; they  had  been  plucked  from  their  coverings,  and 
roughly  replaced;  they  were  torn  in  places.  The  black 
marks  of  heavy  fingers  were  on  them.  His  correspond- 
ence had  not  been  safe  even  after  his  extraordinary 
precautions.  That  set  him  thinking  once  more.  There 
is  little  to  do  when  convalescent  save  to  think  and  to 
sleep.  His  assailants  had  gone  through  his  corre- 
spondence. The  Chancellor  had  been  equal  to  him. 
No  doubt  he  had  been  followed  from  Lasheim,  maybe 
even  to  Lasheim  before  that  as  well.  And  his  assassins 
had  gone  through  his  letters  and  then  fired  the  hut. 
But  there  was  this  missing  letter.  Why  was  that  one 
letter  missing?  .  .  . 

It  was  puzzling.     The  only  letter  gone  was  that  il- 


PIECES  IN  THE  PUZZLE  223 

literate  scrawl  from  Mrs.  Jane  Carver  which  he  had 
wished  to  look  at  again.  Why  had  it  been  taken? 
Reflecting,  he  saw  that  he  would  have  been  unable  to 
satisfy  Mrs.  Jane  Carver  as  to  the  fate  of  her  daughter. 
The  only  person  of  whose  fate  he  could  definitely  speak 
was  the  woman  who  had  died  in  the  Castle,  the  woman 
of  whom  he  had  heard  such  curious  news  from  the 
Lasheim  doctor. 

This  period  was  a  time  of  reflection  for  others  besides 
Temple.  It  constituted  the  lull  in  the  storm.  There 
was  no  excitement  visible  at  the  chateau,  though  its 
retinue  of  servants  had  been  reinforced  from  Montrais. 
Foresters  ranged  the  Odenstock,  ostensibly  on  sylvan 
duties,  and  well  armed.  The  Boar  was  prepared  for 
emergencies.  Von  Hauser  had  slipped  away  on  one 
of  his  mysterious  missions.  Prince  Albrecht  remained 
for  the  moment  content  with  his  move.  He  was  in 
the  position  of  an  impatient  litigator,  who  had  antici- 
pated a  verdict.  He  defied  the  government  from  his 
mediaeval  Castle  of  Sturm,  challenging  a  trial  of  strength. 
But  there  was  no  word  of  his  pretensions.  It  was  all 
a  matter  of  the  estates  of  Sturm,  wrongfully  withheld 
from  him.  This  attitude  made  the  Chancellor's  position 
more  difficult.  He  could,  of  course,  have  met  violence 
by  violence,  which  was  the  course  urged  by  the  indig- 
nant Regent;  but  that  would  be  to  let  loose  the  dogs 
of  war,  and,  to  say  the  truth,  his  Excellency  feared  to 
put  the  general  loyalty  to  the  ultimate  test.  The  army 
might  be  faithful,  but  the  act  of  war  would  not  fail  to 
divide  the  country  into  two  factions,  and  he  doubted 
if  the  loyal  party  would  prove  to  be  the  more  numerous 
and  powerful.  He  shrank  from  that  responsibility 
which  Princess  Alise  was  willing,  nay  eager,  to  accept. 


224  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

She  was  embittered  in  these  days.  The  Chancellor 
had  been  able  to  convince  her  as  to  the  nefarious  de- 
sign of  the  meddling  Englishman.  She  learned  that 
he  had  accepted  the  hospitality  of  the  arch-traitor  in 
the  Odenstock,  and  was  part  and  parcel  of  the  plot. 
His  previous  actions  had  been  easily  accounted  for  by 
Cavari's  explanation  that  he  had  thought  to  have  one 
foot  in  the  Palace  preserves  for  the  better  purposes  of 
the  conspiracy.  The  Count  had  also  taxed  her  patience 
by  his  talk  of  a  lawsuit  against  Prince  Albrecht.  It 
was  only  the  fact  that  he  was  secretly  organizing  and 
mobilizing  the  military  forces  at  the  disposal  of  the 
government  that  kept  her  from  an  open  revolt  against 
the  Chancellor's  policy.  And  this  was  the  situation  as 
the  month  of  June  passed  towards  its  climax. 


CHAPTER  XVH 

THE   CHALET  OF  KROON 

IT  seemed  that  the  Prince  was  always  to  precipitate 
events.  At  least,  ever  afterwards  Philip  regarded 
Albrecht's  letter  as  the  origin  of  everything  that  followed. 
Cavari  held  his  hand,  a  Fabius  waiting  on  destiny  and 
the  reports  of  his  military  officers.  The  Suabian  kept 
an  almost  royal  state  in  his  Castle  of  Sturm,  and  en- 
joyed life;  and  in  the  south  the  Baron  worked  grimly 
for  an  end  which  he  regarded  as  inevitable. 

The  Lasheim  doctor  —  Ewald  by  name,  tall,  gaunt 
and  friendly  —  had  paid  more  than  one  visit  to  the 
chateau,  and  had  gone  as  quietly  as  he  had  come.  He 
registered  a  wonderful  recovery  for  his  patient. 

"Good  living,  my  dear  sir,"  he  proclaimed.  "You 
have  not,  like  some  of  my  countrymen,  gone  to  bed 
barrels  of  beer  and  got  up  beer-barrels.  A  little  longer 
time,  and  you  will  be  as  fit  as  you  ever  were." 

Temple  was  delighted,  acknowledged  the  skill  of 
the  doctor  very  civilly,  and  offered  a  cigar. 

"The  lady,"  he  said,  reverting  to  what  was  often 
on  his  mind,  "whom  you  saw,  who  died  after  the  ac- 
cident—  there  was  no  doubt  about  her  condition." 

"My  dear  Sir  Philip,  a  tyro  in  the  biological  classes 
could  have  told  you  that.  We  can't  mistake  the  fruit 
on  the  tree  or  the  flower  on  the  bush.  I  suppose  the 
poor  creature  died  and  was  buried  ?" 


226  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"In  Waldthal,"  said  Philip  shortly. 

"The  grave  of  hope,"  said  the  doctor  philosophically. 

Philip  wondered.  Had  some  one  hoped?  Was 
some  one  hoping  still?  He  remembered  the  poor  il- 
literate mother,  Mrs.  Jane  Carver.  But  his  lady  was 
not  her  daughter,  maid  to  my  Lady  Stroud.  His 
thoughts  flew  across  the  seas  to  the  bereaved  Duke 
and  his  white  hair  and  tottering  steps.  And  on  that 
the  figure  of  the  Princess,  last  seen  at  the  railway- 
station,  drifted  like  a  ghost  before  him. 

The  day  after  Dr.  Ewald's  last  visit  arrived  the  mes- 
sage from  Prince  Albrecht.  It  was  brought  by  Von 
Hauser,  a  deft  traveler  and  a  pleasant  companion,  and 
in  the  most  charming  manner  imaginable  demanded 
the  custody  of  Sir  Philip  Temple's  person. 

"Sir  Philip  will,  I  am  sure,  give  me  the  satisfaction 
of  personally  thanking  him,"  he  had  written. 

"But  I  have  had  his  thanks,  and  his  ring,"  laughed 
Temple. 

Von  Hauser  was  anxious,  however,  that  he  should 
go,  and  used  his  sly,  persuasive  tongue.  He  had  al- 
ready framed  a  small  plot  in  his  ingenious  brain.  It 
was  not  of  large  proportions,  but  he  had  an  idea  that 
it  might  be  useful.  It  might  only  prove  a  little  squib, 
but  it  might  also  turn  out  to  be  a  bomb  exploding  under 
the  Chancellor's  chair.  In  his  calling  as  diplomat  he 
was  wont  to  ply  his  fingers  among  a  score  of  tiny 
handles,  using  this  or  that  as  the  emergency  or  the 
development  might  decide.  Von  Hauser's  conception 
of  diplomacy  was  summed  up,  as  he  confessed  to  a 
friend,  in  a  single  purpose  and  a  dozen  ways  to  it.  So 
he  designed  to  make  use  of  Sir  Philip  Temple,  who 
might  turn  out  either  a  squib  or  a  bomb.  It  was  not 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON 

difficult  to  overcome  Philip's  resistance,  which  was 
purely  perfunctory.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  wanted 
to  get  to  Sturm,  and  he  wanted  to  see  Albrecht  again. 
The  young  man  had  made  a  charming  impression  on 
him,  which  was  in  no  way  lessened  by  his  late  extrava- 
gant action.  Temple  felt  he  had  been  forced  into  the 
position  of  a  conspirator,  and  he  did  not  mind.  Indeed, 
deep-seated  in  his  mind  was  a  resentment  against  the 
government  of  Eisenburg,  all  the  more  bitter  that  it 
remained  unexpressed.  He  was  in  the  camp  of  the 
enemy,  and  he  was  one  of  the  enemy,  so  far  as  that 
treacherous  foe  was  concerned.  If  he  could  judge  States 
by  their  acts,  the  sooner  this  State  was  in  other  hands 
the  better. 

So  Sir  Philip  Temple  left  the  Odenstock  and  jour- 
neyed northward  by  night.  He  went  in  the  Baron's 
motor-car,  and  in  the  company  of  the  Baron  and  Von 
Hauser.  There  was,  he  gathered,  something  forward 
on  the  part  of  the  conspirators;  but  he  did  not  learn 
what  this  was  until  next  day.  Sturm  was  held  almost 
with  ostentatious  militariness.  The  soldiery,  it  is  true, 
wore  no  uniforms,  but  there  was  no  mistaking  their 
air,  which  spoke  of  the  drill-sergeant  and  the  parade- 
ground.  And  mingling  with  them  were  the  Baron's 
picturesque  retainers  from  the  south,  good  foresters 
and  stout  farmers.  Prince  Albrecht  welcomed  his 
guest  in  a  very  genial  manner. 

"As  you  were  present  at  the  beginnings  of  this  little 
comedy,"  he  said  pleasantly,  "I  thought  you  would 
like  to  see  the  end." 

"Is  the  end  near?"  inquired  Temple,  smiling. 

Albrecht  pursed  up  his  lips.  "Oh,  it  may  be  long- 
drawn-out.  But  you  shall  not  be  bored  with  politics. 


228  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Come  and  see  my  new  motor-car.  It  beats  the  Baron's 
hollow." 

They  inspected  the  car,  and  then  adjourned  to  the 
Prince's  apartments  in  the  Castle,  which  had  been  the 
governor's,  and  were  comfortable  enough,  if  not  of 
great  elegance. 

"Count  von  Hauser,"  said  Albrecht,  falling  into  a 
chair  and  offering  his  guest  a  cigar,  "has  told  me  the 
story  of  your  attempted  assassination.  You  are  almost 
royal  in  your  risks,  Sir  Philip."  He  laughed.  "What 
have  you  done  to  Cavari?" 

"I  am  rather  taken  up  with  thinking  what  I  ought 
to  do  with  him,"  said  Temple  slowly. 

"That 's  the  style.  I  like  that,"  exclaimed  Albrecht. 
"Well,  we  are  going  to  surprise  him,  and  though  he 
fears,  he  does  not  know  when  or  how.  He  is  living  on 
tenter-hooks,  is  Cavari.  I  do  not  envy  him  his  place. 
The  fact  is,  my  dear  sir,  he  is  afraid." 

The  young  man  did  not,  however,  unfold  the  plans 
by  which  the  Chancellor  was  to  be  confounded,  and, 
of  course,  Temple  did  not  inquire  about  them.  Instead, 
he  played  a  game  of  billiards  and  was  handsomely 
beaten,  and  later  retired  to  bed. 

Cavari  was,  in  truth,  hard  hit.  He  dared  not  move 
as  he  would  have  liked  to  move,  for  he  was  no  coward, 
only  a  very  cautious  campaigner,  much  handicapped 
by  circumstances.  And  so  on  both  sides  the  farce  was 
kept  up  of  pretending  that  Albrecht's  seizure  of  Sturm 
was  merely  a  civil  act,  however  uncivil  in  another  sense, 
veiling  no  secret  pretensions  on  the  Suabian's  part. 
Indeed,  the  Chancellor  had  just  made  a  proposal  for 
a  conference  at  which  the  question  of  the  Sturm  estates 
and  the  terms  of  a  possible  indemnity  might  be  dis- 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON  229 

cussed.  Temple  had  arrived  on  the  eve  of  that  historic 
meeting.  The  parties  to  the  conference  met  at  Falle, 
midway  between  Sturm  and  Waldthal,  each  with  a 
suitable  retinue.  In  the  woods  behind  the  village  of 
Falle,  Albrecht's  partisans  were  concentrated,  and 
a  mile  or  so  on  the  Waldthal  road  was  a  similar  dispo- 
sition of  the  Castle  guards  under  Captain  du  Vallon. 
The  Princess  Regent  and  the  Chancellor  arrived  at  the 
Boar  Inn  some  ten  minutes  after  the  Prince's  party, 
which  included  Sir  Philip  Temple.  Von  Hauser  had 
suggested  the  presence  of  the  latter,  and  Albrecht  had 
assented. 

"  Yes,  I  have  promised  Sir  Philip  a  good  seat  in  the 
stalls." 

The  Prince  whimsically  lifted  his  eyebrows  at  the 
swinging  sign  of  a  tusked  boar  over  the  hostelry. 

"Faith,  the  case  has  as  good  as  gone  against  them 
by  that  very  omen,"  he  said.  "It  is  the  Baron's  cog- 
nizance. I  wonder  they  dare  venture." 

When  the  Princess  stepped  out  of  her  car  she  passed 
into  the  inn  without  noticing  the  sign ;  but  it  struck  the 
Chancellor's  eyes,  which  lingered  on  the  rude  picture 
for  some  moments.  His  face  was  inscrutable,  cold, 
gray,  and  withered,  as  Temple  thought  as  he  looked 
forth  from  a  window  at  the  scene.  He,  of  course,  was 
not  to  be  present  at  the  conference,  and  amused  him- 
self in  chatting  with  some  of  the  Prince's  followers. 
The  conference  was  confined  to  four  people,  the  Prin- 
cess and  Albrecht  with  their  respective  advisers,  Counts 
Cavari  and  Von  Hauser.  Favrinck  was  in  an  ante- 
chamber for  some  time,  engaged  in  conversation  with 
a  German,  who  was  also  an  officer,  and  had  charge  of 
the  Sturm  garrison.  Then  he  joined  Temple  and  some 


230  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

of  the  others  in  a  guest-room,  where  the  host  had  served 
his  distinguished  visitors  with  coffee  and  wine.  The 
Baron  ordered  some  beer  and  dropped  heavily  to  his 
seat.  He  was  in  a  pleasant  mood,  and  chaffed  the 
nervous  innkeeper.  He,  too,  had  his  joke  about  the 
sign.  Had  they  not  run  their  heads  into  the  boar's 
lair? 

The  result  of  the  conference  was  naturally  nil,  as 
Europe  knew  next  day.  It  was,  indeed,  only  designed 
on  Cavari's  part  to  give  himself  time  to  complete  prepa- 
rations, and  to  learn  as  much  as  he  could  of  the  enemy's 
position.  Albrecht  he  knew  to  be  an  impulsive  young 
man,  and  he  might  be  able  to  provoke  him  into  un- 
foreseen revelation  of  his  plans.  On  the  other  side 
Albrecht,  prompted  by  Von  Hauser,  had  merely  ac- 
cepted the  invitation  because  it  could  do  no  harm, 
and  might  discover  to  them  how  far  the  Chancellor 
was  scared.  But  the  Chancellor  was  magnificent  in 
his  perilous  situation,  and  he  was  aware  of  the  value  of 
bluff.  He  had  not  winced  once  during  the  interview, 
nor  betrayed  any  feeling  whatsoever.  Von  Hauser  was 
almost  as  cool  and  sphinx-like,  so  that  the  emotions 
were  left  to  Albrecht  and  the  Princess.  The  former 
was  gay,  and  scrupulously  courteous,  as  if  he  and  she 
had  met  in  a  drawing-room.  To  have  seen  his  behavior 
you  would  not  have  thought  that  there  was  any  issue 
of  importance  at  stake.  The  Princess  was  ill  at  ease, 
impatient,  and  indignant,  and  hardly  restrained  her 
anger.  Was  there  no  justice  in  the  world,  that  mere 
thieves  and  robbers  could  go  about  in  this  debonair, 
smiling  fashion  ?  She  hated  the  Prince's  civilities,  and 
put  a  check  upon  herself  in  only  receiving  them  coldly, 
and  not  breaking  out  into  a  passionate  denunciation 
of  him  and  all  his  works. 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON  231 

But  at  last  the  futile  meeting  came  to  an  end. 

"  As  his  Highness  has  taken  the  remarkable  course  of 
seizing  by  violence  what  should  have  been  made  the 
subject  of  a  claim  under  the  laws,  we  fall  back  upon  our 
constitutional  right  of  redress,"  said  the  Chancellor. 

"Which  is  —  —  ?"  said  Von  Hauser  softly. 

"As  we  may  be  advised,"  snapped  Cavari,  shooting 
a  glance  at  him. 

On  that  note  of  menace  (was  it?)  the  conference 
ended.  The  Prince  shepherded  the  Princess  from  the 
room,  with  his  most  elaborate  civility,  and  in  despite 
of  her  obvious  chagrin.  Behind  came  Von  Hauser  and 
the  Chancellor,  silent  and  watchful.  Even  Albrecht's 
sense  of  gayety  was  daunted.  The  little  inn  had 
sprung  suddenly  into  importance.  Never  before  had 
it  harbored  such  distinguished  people.  The  inn- 
keeper was  on  pins  and  needles.  Just  before  the 
rising  of  the  conference  Baron  Favrinck  leaned  over 
to  Temple. 

"Let  us  get  out,"  he  said,  and  led  the  way  into  the 
square  hall. 

It  was  a  small  affair,  out  of  which  the  conference- 
room  opened.  From  this  emerged  just  then  Prince 
Albrecht  in  attendance  on  the  Princess  Alise,  the  latter 
haughty  and  flushed  with  anger.  The  shafts  of  her 
eyes  drove  straight  at  Temple  where  he  stood  by  the 
Baron,  and  the  delicate  curves  of  her  nostrils  moved 
and  swelled  with  evident  passion.  She  passed  him  by 
with  a  stare.  Temple  changed  color  under  this  re- 
fusal to  recognize  him,  but  he  had  not  time  to  consider 
it  further  before  Count  Cavari  made  his  appearance. 
He  had  exchanged  some  words  with  Von  Hauser,  when 
his  keen  glance  took  in  Philip.  Suddenly  his  face 


232  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

grayed  to  a  horrid  pallor,  and  twitched;  he  came  to  a 
pause,  and  set  one  hand  against  the  wall. 

"Ere  you  go,  a  little  wine,  your  Excellency,"  mur- 
mured Von  Hauser,  who  had  been  watching  him 
carefully. 

The  Chancellor  made  a  gesture  of  refusal,  recovering 
himself.  He  passed  on,  inclining  his  head  as  he  went 
by  Temple,  and  moved  out  into  the  sunshine.  There 
was  a  trembling  in  his  withered  hands,  visible  to  the 
eagle-eyed  man  who  accompanied  him. 

The  Princess  and  her  suite  disappeared  in  a  cloud 
of  dust,  and  the  Prince's  party  went  back  to  Sturm. 
In  the  evening  Von  Hauser  summed  up  to  his  fellow- 
conspirators. 

"  We  have  made  sure  of  this  one  thing  —  that  his 
Excellency  is  afraid  to  move.  We  have  time." 

"We  don't  want  time,"  said  Favrinck  bluntly. 
"It  is  he  who  wants  it." 

"Shall  I  say  then  that  we  have  time  until  to- 
morrow?" said  Von  Hauser  softly. 

"Nothing  can  stop  that,"  said  the  Boar. 

"Gentlemen,  I  think  I  could,"  the  Prince  inter- 
vened. There  was  a  startled  look  on  the  faces  of  the 
others.  "But  I  don't  think  I  will,"  went  on  Albrecht 
thoughtfully.  "  It 's  the  quickest  way,  and  I  like  quick 
ways.  And  besides,  there  's  the  old  axiom  about  the 
omelette.  But  I  don't  like  it.  I  rather  fancy  I  'm 
ashamed  of  it." 

"In  affairs  of  state  there  is  or  should  be  no  con- 
siderations of  the  sort,  your  Highness,"  remarked  Von 
Hauser.  "It  is  all  founded  in  philosophy.  There  is 
a  different  ethical  system  for  every  different  develop- 
ment of  organic  life.  The  cell  has  its  code,  the  private 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON  233 

individual  his,  proper  to  him;  there  is  also  a  system  of 
morality  incumbent  on  that  aggregation  of  units,  the 
family;  and  States,  a  still  further  evolution  of  organic 
life,  require  still  different  laws.  We  arrogate  to  our- 
selves as  human  beings  the  power  to  take  animal  life  — 
rightly.  The  parallel  holds  if  you  apply  it." 

"  It  is  ingenious,  my  dear  Count,"  laughed  Albrecht, 
"  and  anyway  I  'm  going  through  with  it.  But  I  wish 
I  'd  not  met  her.  What  a  beautiful  creature !  Yes,  I 
wish  I  'd  not  met  her  to-day.  It  was  n't  necessary." 

Albrecht  swung  out  of  the  room  lightly  as  he  spoke. 

"It  was  useful,"  said  Von  Hauser  to  himself,  and 
turning  to  Favrinck,  asked : 

"Did  you  see  the  Chancellor's  face  in  the  hall  when 
he  recognized  Sir  Philip?" 

The  Baron  nodded.    "What  does  it  mean?*' 

"I  have  never  seen  a  man  so  near  a  breakdown. 
I  tell  you,  Baron,  he  is  doubly  afraid.  He  fears  on  all 
sides.  The  man  is  haunted." 

"What  does  it  mean?"  repeated  the  Baron. 

"If  I  knew  that,"  said  Von  Hauser,  "I  could  crack 
him  like  this."  He  snapped  his  fingers.  "There  is 
some  deathly  meaning  in  it.  I  wonder!  I  wonder!" 
He  mused,  and  went  away  in  a  muse. 

But  Baron  Favrinck  was  not  given  to  musing.  He 
solved  problems  with  the  sword,  or  he  wanted  to.  He 
was  solving  one  on  the  following  day  and  was  glad. 
Von  Hauser  had  agreed  to  the  step,  and  the  Prince 
acquiesced.  The  Baron  was  in  counsel  with  Colonel 
Doletsch,  who  had  organized  the  garrison. 

Meanwhile  at  Waldthal  there  had  been  some  con- 
cern over  the  health  of  his  Highness  the  Grand  Duke. 
Doctors  had  advised  a  higher  air,  and  it  had  been 


234  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

decided  that  he  should  be  established  at  Kroon,  a  chalet 
in  the  Odenstock  among  the  pines  and  the  cool  breezes. 
This,  however,  was  not  bruited  abroad.  The  child 
was  to  go  with  his  nurses  under  an  escort,  joining  there 
the  Regent,  who  herself  preceded  him  to  make  all 
necessary  arrangements.  But  in  courts  and  in  palaces 
there  is  ever  a  leakage  of  gossip,  and  Von  Hauser  was 
well  served  by  his  spies.  This  had  been  chosen  as  the 
opportunity  of  their  great  coup. 

Among  the  pines  Doletsch's  men  were  in  hiding 
from  daybreak,  and  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the  Regent. 
She  came  on  horseback  with  two  attendants,  and  per- 
sonally superintended  the  preparations  which  had 
already  been  put  in  hand  by  the  servants  who  had  been 
sent  forward.  The  Grand  Duke  and  his  escort  were 
expected  late  in  the  afternoon. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  Baroness  Hals,  who  had  ac- 
companied the  Princess,  strolling  in  the  woods,  came 
upon  what  she  described  as  "two  horrid-looking  men" 
and  promptly  took  to  her  heels.  She  reported  breath- 
lessly to  her  Highness,  who  was  disposed  to  scold  her 
lady-in-waiting  for  her  display  of  panic.  But  the 
"horrid-looking  men"  had  seen  the  lady  and  her  flight, 
and  they  in  turn  had  reported  to  Doletsch;  and  to 
prevent  complication  and  to  make  quite  sure  of  events 
Doletsch  struck.  Thus  it  came  about  within  twenty 
minutes  that  his  forces  converged  on  the  chalet,  which 
fell  into  his  hands.  The  Princess  was  at  once  amazed 
and  infuriated.  Her  majestic  anger  affected  even  that 
hardened  soldier  of  fortune.  He  trusted  that  her  High- 
ness would  continue  her  ministrations  under  his  im- 
mediate protection.  Her  Highness  flamed. 

"You  are  brigands,  sir,"  she  declared.     "It  is  gro- 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON 

tesque  that  you  should  be  able  to  violate  the  law.  In 
Astra  you  would  have  been  laid  by  the  heels  long  since, 
and  perished  off  the  earth." 

Doletsch  shrugged  his  shoulders  at  the  tirade,  but 
he  was  above  all  a  practical  soldier,  and  he  did  not 
want  women  to  embarrass  him.  He  saw  difficulties 
arising  out  of  the  presence  of  the  Princess,  and  so 
he  determined  to  get  rid  of  her.  Accordingly  he  sent 
her  under  guard  to  Sturm,  where  she  arrived  early 
in  the  afternoon,  a  passionate  woman  on  the  verge  of 
tears. 

Favrinck  brought  the  news  to  Von  Hauser,  chuckling, 
but  Von  Hauser  looked  grave  and  frowned.  As  for  Al- 
brecht,  when  it  reached  him  he  was  in  dismay.  He 
had  been  playing  a  game  of  billiards  with  his  guest, 
and  stepped  aside  to  hear  Von  Hauser.  He  threw 
up  his  hands,  dropping  his  cue. 

"What  did  I  say?  I  should  never  have  met  her. 
My  dear  Count,  this  is  abominable."  He  dropped 

into  a  chair.  "I  felt  small  yesterday;  to-day " 

He  made  a  gesture. 

"Colonel  Doletsch  was  evidently  in  a  difficulty," 
argued  Von  Hauser. 

"Yes,  yes,"  the  Prince  nodded.  "But  so  am  I. 
He  transfers  it  to  me.  Von  Hauser,  you  must  entertain 
her." 

Something  of  this  conversation  reached  Temple's 
ears  as  he  stood  by  the  billiard-table,  not  Von  Hauser's 
low-pitched  voice,  but  Albrecht's  clear,  frank  tones. 
He  was  clearly  put  about  by  something.  Von  Hauser 
knew  his  master  well  enough.  He  looked  at  the  Count 
after  a  silence,  and  smiled  whimsically. 

"  At  any  rate,  I  must  have  assistance.    I  feel  a  ruffian," 


236  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

he  said.  He  got  up.  "Come,  Sir  Philip,"  he  said 
lightly,  "let  us  join  the  ladies." 

Temple,  only  half  understanding,  followed  him, 
and  they  entered  the  drawing-room  in  the  tower,  a 
chamber  furnished  in  better  style  than  its  fellows.  Up- 
right by  a  window  that  looked  south  on  the  broken 
lands  towards  the  Odenstock  was  her  Highness  Alise 
of  Astra,  Regent  of  Eisenburg.  She  turned  on  hearing 
them  enter,  and  a  light  kindled  in  her  eyes.  She  had 
new  fuel  to  feed  it  on. 

"This,  then,  is  your  Highness's  doing,"  she  broke 
forth  —  "you  and  your  friend's,"  including  Temple 
with  flashing  scorn.  "You  make  war  on  babes  in 
arms  and  women." 

"Faith,  your  Highness,  the  babes  should  not  be  in 
arms,"  said  Albrecht  flippantly  — "  and  the  women 
should,"  he  added  under  his  breath  to  Philip. 

The  Princess  struggled  to  be  calm. 

"  Was  it  by  your  orders  that  the  chalet  at  Kroon  was 
seized  this  morning,  and  myself  made  prisoner?"  she 
asked. 

"It  was,  madam,  incidental  to  the  campaign,  and  I 
regret  the  necessity,"  returned  the  Prince. 

"A  campaign,"  said  Alise  of  Astra,  "which  is  di- 
rected against  a  child,  and  is  designed  to  rob  him  of 
his  inheritance." 

"The  affairs  of  nations  are  on  another  level  than 
those  of  individuals,  your  Highness,"  said  Albrecht,  and 
murmured  to  Temple :  "  I  wish  I  could  recall  Von  Hau- 
ser's  appeal  to  philosophy.  It  was  really  excellent." 

"You  war  on  a  child,"  repeated  the  Regent  bitterly. 
"You  are  content  to  rise  upon  a  child's  ruin." 

Albrecht  pushed  his  moustache  upwards  in  evident 
embarrassment. 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON  237 

"I  believe,  madam,  I  should  save  the  child  much 
trouble.  There  is  a  peril  in  sovereignty." 

"Oh,  this  is  cant !"  she  cried  vehemently.  "I  prefer 
you  with  the  brutal,  naked  truth  in  your  mouth.  I 
prefer  Baron  Favrinck,  who  grinned  at  me  somberly. 
At  least,  he  made  no  pretenses,  he  did  not  dissimulate. 
For  God's  sake,  say  what  end  it  means.  What  is  the 
all  you  want  ?  You  want  the  grand-duchy  against  every 
principle  of  right.  What  more  do  you  want?  Where 
will  it  end?" 

The  Prince  shot  a  glance  at  Temple,  as  if  he  would 
invite  sympathy  or  help. 

"The  destiny  of  nations,"  he  said,  "is  only  accom- 
plished by  the  arbitrament  of  arms  and  revolution. 
Out  of  the  melee  God  achieves  what  He  wants." 

"Pray  leave  God  out  of  this  wretched  plot,"  she 
exclaimed  angrily.  "  If  I  thought  it  was  He " 

She  ceased.  From  without  came  the  sound  of  volley- 
firing,  where  Doletsch's  men  were  drilling.  Alise 
turned  her  head  and  listened,  and,  a  sense  of  what 
it  all  portended  breaking  on  her  outworn  spirit,  she 
fell  into  a  chair. 

"But  this  is  civil  war!"  she  murmured  brokenly. 
"This  is  civil  war!" 

Her  face  was  buried  in  her  hands,  and  she  sobbed. 
The  sound  of  her  sobs,  short,  explosive,  distracting, 
carried  through  the  room,  and  set  Albrecht  frowning. 

"My  God,  it  isn't  worth  it!"  he  muttered,  as  he 
passed  Temple  on  his  way  to  the  door. 

It  closed  behind  him,  but  Temple  remained.  The 
sight  of  the  Princess  with  her  beautiful  head  bowed 
upon  the  table  was  pitiful,  was  frightening;  it  blanched 
his  face.  He  might  have  stolen  forth  like  Albrecht,  but 


238  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

he  held  his  ground,  under  an  overpowering  impulse. 
It  was  a  woman  who  sobbed  there,  and  his  spirit  took 
flight  in  a  sudden  elation.  He  felt  that  he  could  console 
and  assuage ;  he  never  doubted  it.  Under  the  exaltation 
of  an  unexpected  emotion,  never  realized,  never  drawn 
forth  to  the  full  till  that  moment,  he  felt  that  nothing 
could  stop  him,  that  he  was  omnipotent  where  she  was 
concerned,  with  all  the  powers,  vitality,  and  masterful- 
ness of  a  Man. 

He  approached  softly. 

"  Will  your  Highness  tell  me,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice, 

"the  story  of  your  capture  and  exactly  what  it  means ?" 

She  had  imagined  that  she  was  alone,  for  she  had 

heard  the  door  click,  and  now  her  sobs  ceased  suddenly, 

and  she  raised  a  tragic  head,  with  light  in  tragic  eyes. 

"  Go  ! "  she  cried.  "  You  would  gloat  over  the  misery 
you  have  caused  !  Go !" 

She  pointed  across  the  room,  but  he  did  not  move. 
"  You  were  seized  by  Colonel  Doletsch's  men  at  the 
chalet?"  he  went  on,  ignoring  this,  and  speaking  in  a 
matter-of-fact  way.  "  They  brought  you  here.  I  gather 
it  was  a  plot  against  the  Grand  Duke.  Perhaps  if  you 
could  tell  me  — 

She  rose.  "  You  have  done  well  by  your  employers," 
she  said,  with  scorn  and  anger  and  weariness  in  her  voice. 
"You  plotted  cunningly.  I  was  deceived.  I  thought 
your  voice  and  face  honest.  I  believed  in  you.  I  wel- 
comed your  assistance  —  once.  Oh,  it  was  cunning 
to  wish  to  keep  in  with  the  Court  party !  But  now  at 
least  have  done  with  pretences.  Leave  me.  That  last 
insult  you  can  spare  me.  You  have  your  way,  you  and 
your  filibustering  friends.  At  six  o'clock  the  Grand 
Duke  will  be  in  your  hands,  the  Grand  Duke  —  a 


THE  CHALET  OF  KROON  239 

weeping  infant,  orphaned  and  helpless,  and  at  your 
mercy.  And  what  can  the  mercy  of  such  as  you  be 
like?  " 

She  ceased  suddenly,  and  turned  away.  He  opened 
his  mouth  to  speak,  but  refrained.  There  was  no  power 
in  him  now  to  give  comfort ;  all  he  could  have  done  was 
to  plead  in  his  own  behalf.  That  would  do  her  no  good. 
Philip  Temple  had  the  gift  of  restraint  in  an  amazing 
degree.  He  bowed  and  went  out. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE   CAPTURE 

Prince  eyed  him  thoughtfully,  and  reached 
A  out  a  hand  for  his  cigarettes. 

"  It  was  not  nice ;  it  was  harrowing.  I  object  to  being 
harrowed,"  he  said,  lighting  one.  "  I  told  Von  Hauser 
he  should  not  have  summoned  me  to  this  scene.  He 
thinks  every  one  is  as  cold  and  callous  as  himself.  Let 
us  forget  it." 

He  smiled,  but  Philip's  face  reflected  no  answering 
smile. 

"  I  wanted  to  thank  you  for  your  hospitality,  your 
Highness,  and  beg  to  take  leave  of  you,"  he  said. 

"  What !  you  must  go  ?  Why,  the  fun  has  only  just 
begun.  There  will  be  an  exciting  finish." 

His  volatility  was  astonishing;  the  cruel  scene  with 
the  Princess  had  seemingly  passed  out  of  his  mind 
with  his  words. 

"  There  is  another  thing  I  wish  to  say,  by  your  High- 
ness's  permission,"  pursued  Temple  coolly.  "I  have 
learned  some  things  while  here  which  I  see  that  in  honor 
I  am  not  free  to  disclose.  But  there  is  one  point  upon 
which  I  should  like  a  clear  understanding,  and  that  is 
—  I  claim  to  be  free  to  act  however  I  will  in  respect  of 
this  last  affair." 

"This  last?"  the  Prince  looked  his  question.  "Oh, 
you  mean  the  Princess.  You  want  to  intervene.  How  ? 


THE  CAPTURE  241 

On  the  other  side,  is  it  ?  Pah !  my  dear  Sir  Philip,  it 
is  impracticable.  It  is  a  good  sporting  instinct,  I  know, 
but  it  is  impossible.  The  reign  of  the  Wolfgangs  is 
doomed.  They  have  not  been  a  very  creditable  lot." 

"I  do  not  care,"  said  Philip,  "who  sits  in  the  grand- 
ducal  chair  at  Eisenburg.  Personally,  I  have  a  bias  in 
favor  of  your  Highness"  —  Albrecht  bowed — "but 
I  have  an  interest  in  this  latest  phase  which  is  purely 
human  and  humanitarian.  I  am  claiming  my  freedom 
to  act  as  I  wish." 

The  Prince  took  his  cigarette  from  his  mouth. 
"  You  mean  you  will  —  what  do  you  say  over  there  ?  — 
try  to  upset  our  apple-cart."  He  paused,  replaced  the 
cigarette.  "I  don't  know  that  it  is  purely  humani- 
tarian," he  added,  smiling.  "There  is  a  pretty  woman 
in  the  case.  Heavens !  she  was  beautiful,  was  n't  she, 
when  we  stood  like  two  small  boys  under  correction? 
I  'm  glad  I  got  away  in  time,  or  I  should  have  felt  like 
you.  You  did  n't,  you  see."  He  looked  quizzingly, 
boyishly,  and  frankly  at  Temple. 

"I  have  put  my  case  before  your  Highness,"  he 
replied. 

The  Prince  pulled  out  a  watch.  "  Well,  it  does  n't 
matter,"  he  said.  "  I  'm  sorry  to  lose  you.  We  shall 
meet,  I  hope,  again,  and  you  will  have  no  scruples  by 
that  time." 

He  smiled,  and  nodded,  and  put  out  his  hand.  Tem- 
ple now  echoed  the  smile  as  they  shook  hands.  Once 
outside  the  Castle,  he  made  for  the  stables.  It  was 
close  on  six  o'clock,  and  no  doubt  the  Prince's  watch 
had  influenced  his  action  in  allowing  his  guest  to  go. 
If  the  Princess  were  right,  the  Grand  Duke  would  be 
in  the  hands  of  Doletsch  long  before  he  could  reach 


ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Kroon,  which  was  ten  miles  from  Sturm,  and  approached 
by  rather  rough  roads.  However,  Philip  had  deter- 
mined to  make  the  attempt  to  warn  the  escort,  and  he 
had  only  one  chance.  It  was  bold  to  audacity,  and  it 
had  even  a  touch  of  impudence.  But  he  felt  that  he 
had  explained  his  views  with  sufficient  clarity  to  the 
Prince,  and  was  quit  of  his  obligations  as  guest.  Had 
the  chauffeur  been  in  the  stables,  which  had  been 
turned  into  a  garage,  it  is  even  probable  that  Temple 
would  have  thought  it  his  duty  to  complete  his  dis- 
entanglement from  guestship  by  explaining  what  he 
designed  to  do.  As  no  one  was  on  guard  he  simply 
stole  the  car,  after  examining  it  to  see  that  it  was  in 
order.  Five  minutes  later  he  was  thundering  down 
the  hill  towards  the  broken  land  between  Sturm  and 
the  Odenstock. 

Von  Hauser  sought  Albrecht  a  little  later  with  some 
question,  and  was  reproached  for  the  affair  of  the 
Princess. 

"Sir  Philip  also  suffered,"  said  the  young  Prince, 
laughing.  "He  has  become  a  convert  to  the  cause; 
he  is  a  Don  Quixote  to  the  rescue  of  distressed  dam- 
sels. I  wish  I  had  remembered  your  excellent  axioms, 
Count." 

"Sir  Philip?"  inquired  Von  Hauser,  alert. 

"Yes,  he  has  thrown  us  over;  he  has  started  on  a 
career  of " 

"Your  Highness  will  excuse  me.    You  let  him  go?" 

The  concern  was  evident  in  Von  Hauser 's  tones. 

"Why,  yes;  he  can  do  no  harm.  We  have  already 
the  stakes,  have  n't  we  ?  He  can  indulge  his  philan- 
thropic sentiments  in  safety  and  to  his  own  satisfaction." 

"Excuse  me,  your   Highness."     Von  Hauser  rang 


THE  CAPTURE 

a  bell  and  a  servant  attended.  "Find  out  where  Sir 
Philip  Temple  is,"  he  commanded. 

"Von  Hauser,  what  is  wrong?"  asked  Albrecht, 
opening  his  eyes.  "He  could  do  no  harm." 

"I  think,  your  Highness,  it  is  well  to  take  no  risks," 
said  Von  Hauser  seriously.  "I  know  this  breed  and 
this  particular  kind  of  man." 

The  servant  entered  at  this  moment.  "Your  Ex- 
cellency," he  said,  "Sir  Philip  Temple  left  the  Castle 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago  in  one  of  the  motor-cars." 

Albrecht  exclaimed. 

"Tell  the  chauffeur  to  bring  the  other  car  out,"  said 
Von  Hauser  authoritatively,  as  he  turned  to  the  Prince. 

His  Highness  suddenly  burst  out  laughing,  and  then 
stopped  abruptly. 

"And  all  that  decision  for  a  sentiment!"  he  said. 
"I  don't  understand  the  breed." 

"I  do,  your  Highness,"  said  Von  Hauser  dryly. 

Between  the  Castle  of  Sturm  and  Kroon,  as  has 
been  explained,  stretched  ten  rough  miles.  The  road 
for  the  first  three  of  these  was  a  tolerable  highway, 
on  which  the  car  traveled  with  fair  ease  and  speed; 
but  across  the  foothills  of  Odenstock  it  began  at  once  to 
deteriorate.  It  sank  at  times  into  a  mere  track,  and 
the  country  was  broken  and  largely  afforested.  The 
car,  fortunately,  was  of  strong  build,  and  did  not  break 
down,  but  its  speed  was  necessarily  reduced,  and  across 
the  outlying  spurs  of  the  hills  it  crawled  and  bumped 
as  awkwardly  as  any  horse- wagon.  There  was  always, 
moreover,  the  risk  of  a  puncture,  and  collapsed  tires. 
Temple  had  inquired  the  way  to  Kroon  of  several 
people  encountered  on  the  road,  and  he  was  sure  of 
its  situation  on  a  bluff  of  the  rising  forest  with  its  cham- 


244  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

bers  to  the  streaming  winds  of  the  east.  And  now  he 
saw  it  on  its  perch,  commanding  the  receding  valley, 
darkling  in  the  evening  with  the  withdrawal  of  the  sun 
behind  the  hills.  The  track  grew  steeper,  and  the  car, 
which  was  not  of  high  power,  dropped  into  a  crawl.  It 
stopped,  jumped  forward  a  step  or  two  to  the  bid  of 
the  accelerator,  and  then  stopped  again.  It  was  ob- 
vious that  the  gradient  was  too  heavy.  Temple  braked 
her,  and  got  out.  The  chalet  gloomed  above  him  half 
a  mile  away;  and  he  set  out  on  foot.  He  had  scarcely 
abandoned  his  car  five  minutes  when  Von  Hauser's 
high-powered  car  emerged  into  sight  below,  and  groaned 
uphill  past  it  without  a  pause.  The  noise  arrested 
Temple,  and  he  turned.  He  struck  into  the  thick  wood 
on  his  left.  He  suspected  danger. 

Von  Hauser  leaned  over  and  shouted  an  order  to 
the  chauffeur,  who  stopped,  and  two  men  alighted 
from  the  big  car  and  went  into  the  forest  in  the  direction 
taken  by  Temple.  Then  the  car  moved  forward  again, 
upward  to  the  chalet,  for  Von  Hauser  was  anxious  to 
know  if  the  plot  had  already  been  successful,  as  he 
expected,  and  at  the  same  time  he  did  not  desire  to 
lose  sight  of  Sir  Philip. 

But  Philip  had  had  a  fair  start,  and  the  wood  was 
dense.  His  design  was  to  reach  the  chalet  and  recon- 
noiter.  It  might  well  be  that  he  had  come  too  late,  and 
that  the  Grand  Duke  had  already  been  seized.  If  not, 
he  intended  to  make  his  way  down  towards  Waldthal 
and  give  warning.  He  had  the  disadvantage  of  not 
knowing  the  forest  here,  or  the  tracks  in  it,  but  he 
managed  by  his  sense  of  direction,  which  was  keen,  to 
maintain  a  fairly  true  line  upwards,  and  he  reached  the 
grounds  of  the  chalet  successfully,  hot  and  perspiring. 


THE  CAPTURE  245 

He  made  a  cautious  circuit  of  it,  hiding  in  the  under- 
brush. He  saw  some  of  the  soldiery  in  the  grounds 
cooking  over  a  fire;  he  noticed  sentinels  on  the  confines 
of  the  garden,  and  he  caught  sight  of  Von  Hauser,  in 
conversation  with  Doletsch;  but  there  was  nothing  to 
tell  him  whether  the  Grand  Duke  had  been  captured 
or  not.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  better 
descend  towards  Waldthal  on  the  chance,  even  if  it 
were  remote,  that  the  escort  had  not  arrived ;  and  having 
settled  this,  he  cast  about  for  the  road.  Not  that  he 
intended  to  keep  the  road,  but  it  would  be  by  the  road 
that  the  escort  wTould  come,  and  he  must  be  in  touch 
with  that  artery.  He  hit  upon  a  track  which,  he  decided, 
must  lead  to  Waldthal,  and  he  descended  through  the 
forest  in  a  parallel  line.  He  had  hardly  gone  half  a 
mile  before  through  the  tree  boles  he  espied  a  man  on 
a  ridge  a  hundred  yards  away.  He  had  not  any  certain 
knowledge  that  he  had  been  pursued,  but  he  knew 
enough  of  Von  Hauser  to  credit  him  with  that  fore- 
thought; and  he  waited  anxiously  to  see  if  this  man 
was  merely  a  forester  or  charcoal-burner,  and  not  an 
emissary  of  the  Pretender.  The  man  moved  as  one 
unaccustomed  to  the  woods,  and,  moreover,  his  dress 
was  not  such  as  Temple  had  seen  on  woodsmen,  and 
this  made  him  suspicious.  In  the  midst  of  his  fears, 
from  behind  him  issued  a  noise  of  cracking  twigs,  as 
of  some  one  forcing  his  way  through  bushes,  and  he 
turned,  startled  to  a  new  anxiety.  He  was  behind  the 
bole  of  a  pine  in  a  comparatively  open  part,  clear  of 
undergrowth,  and  if  an  enemy  were  in  the  rear  would 
be  easily  visible.  Therefore  it  behoved  him  to  take  a 
risk  and  go  forward,  which  he  did  with  great  circum- 
spection, passing  from  tree  to  tree  to  escape  the  notice 


246  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

of  the  man  on  his  left,  and  also  to  dodge  the  man  behind. 
He  had  all  but  reached  a  patch  of  undergrowth  when 
he  heard  a  shout  behind  him,  a  holloa  that  rang  through 
the  forest,  and  brought  to  a  standstill  the  man  in  front. 
The  shout  was  renewed,  "  We  have  him  !  There,  man, 
there!" 

Temple  caught  the  words,  and  knew  he  was  dis- 
covered. He  began  to  run,  and  reaching  the  under- 
growth, plunged  into  it.  Now  he  was  aware  that  he 
had  to  deal  with  two  men,  and  he  guessed  that  one  of 
them  was  not  a  forester,  but  the  unseen  man  behind  him 
might  very  well  be.  In  any  case  the  forest  hampered 
him,  and  now  that  he  was  discovered  there  was  no  point 
in  keeping  to  it.  He  recalled,  with  a  certain  wincing 
of  the  mind,  that  former  chase  in  the  forests  of  the 
eastern  Odenstock,  and  he  turned  through  the  under- 
wood on  to  the  road.  He  would  challenge  them  in  the 
open,  challenge  them  in  the  strength  and  fleetness  of 
their  legs  and  their  physical  condition. 

Temple,  lean  and  strong,  and  now  fully  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  the  assault  upon  him,  sprang  into 
a  steady  sprint  down  the  rude  track  through  a  vast 
avenue  of  pines,  and  into  the  road,  one  after  the  other, 
his  pursuers  followed.  They  gained  on  him  at  once, 
for  the  speed  at  which  they  started  was  terrific,  but 
Temple  spurted  and  opened  the  gap  between,  and  they 
fell  away.  After  the  first  mile,  one  man  dropped  off 
exhausted,  but  his  comrade  kept  on  pluckily,  though 
now  with  lessening  hope  and  yielding  legs;  and  pres- 
ently he  was  lost  to  sight  round  a  bend  of  the  road 
which  Temple  turned,  still  padding  weakly  on. 

Temple  turned  from  his  backward  gaze  to  the  road 
in  front,  and  suddenly  drew  up.  A  hundred  yards  away 
was  a  company  of  soldiers. 


THE  CAPTURE  247 

"The  escort!"  he  panted  under  his  breath. 

He  began  to  move  now  again,  but  at  a  walk.  Some- 
where behind  him  the  undaunted  pursuer  was  flagging 
out  of  pure  physical  exhaustion.  Temple  felt  he  could 
have  run  all  the  way  to  Waldthal.  But  as  he  approached, 
his  eye  made  a  recognition.  It  was  Du  Vallon,  who 
advanced  a  little  way  in  front  of  his  company,  as  Du  Val- 
lon would.  The  Captain  made  the  recognition  almost 
simultaneously.  "Sir  Philip!"  he  exclaimed  in  sur- 
prise; and  when  they  were  at  close  quarters,  "I  am 
sorry  about  this,  Sir  Philip." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Philip,  panting. 

"Why,  your  choice.  It  was  bad,  it  was  ungenerous, 
unhandsome." 

"  Let  me  understand,"  said  the  other. 

The  soldiers  had  halted  at  a  word  from  their  Captain, 
and  were  waiting. 

"You  have  chosen  the  wrong  side;  I  do  not  under- 
stand you,"  said  Du  Vallon  sadly.  "My  orders  are 
to  arrest  any  one  I  meet.  I  regret  you  must  consider 
yourself  a  prisoner." 

Philip  looked  back  almost  unconsciously.  Round  the 
bend  in  the  road  the  lagging  pursuer  had  come  into 
sight,  and  he  halted,  the  breathless  and  valiant  adherent 
of  Prince  Albrecht.  The  sight  of  the  soldiery  deterred 
him  from  the  chase. 

Temple  smiled,  as  his  eyes  came  back  to  those  of 
Captain  Constantine  du  Vallon.  It  was  all  so  ironical. 

"  I  am  your  prisoner,"  he  said.  "  Yet  I  came  to 

Oh,  well,  we  are  all  in  a  pretty  puzzle.  Captain,  I 
could  drink  a  bucket." 

"My  friend,  you  shall  have  a  glass  of  good  Rhine 
wine.  It  is  I  myself  who  thought  of  it."  Du  Vallon 


248  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

issued  an  order,  and  his  men  closed.  Their  prisoner, 
panting,  sat  down  under  the  pines  to  rest,  and  drink, 
and  consider. 

Captain  du  Vallon  had  sent  out  in  pursuit  of  Von 
Hauser's  man,  who  took  instantly  to  the  forest  for 
shelter;  and  he  himself  returned  to  his  prisoner.  He 
contemplated  him  lugubriously. 

"  I  do  not  understand  why  you  have  taken  the  course 
you  have,"  he  said.  "Why  should  you  take  any  part 
in  our  affairs?" 

"Any  part  I  have  taken,"  answered  Temple  grimly, 
"  has  been  forced  upon  me." 

"  You  are  with  the  traitors  and  the  plotters,"  observed 
Du  Vallon.  "  I  wish  to  God  I  had  not  entertained  you 
that  night.  You  drew  my  confidence.  I  entertained  a 
traitor.  I  have  always  liked  your  countrymen." 

He  spoke  bitterly,  but  without  passion. 

"  Captain,"  said  Philip,  who  had  been  examining 
the  party  as  he  sat.  "You  are  the  Grand  Ducal  escort 
to  Kroon.  Where  is  the  Grand  Duke?" 

Du  Vallon  flashed  a  glance  at  him.  "You  are 
harmless,"  he  said.  "  It  is  of  no  consequence  what  you 
know  now.  But  I  wish,  Monsieur,  his  Excellency 
would  leave  the  affair  in  my  hands  to  be  decided  by 
the  arbitrament  of  the  sword  or  pistol.  There  would 
be  a  traitor  less  among  our  foes." 

"So  far  as  I  can  gather  from  your  remarks,"  said 
Temple  with  a  smile,  "  there  will  in  any  case  be  a  traitor 
less." 

"Well,  you  are  at  the  disposal  of  his  Excellency. 
It  is  out  of  my  hands,  which  is  why  I  speak  to  you  thus. 
It  is  not  probable  we  shall  meet  again." 

"My  friend,  you  are  a  cheerful  companion,"  said 


THE  CAPTURE  249 

Temple,  draining  his  flask.  "  But  where  is  the  Grand 
Duke?" 

"At  Waldthal,"  said  Du  Vallon  shortly.  "Your 
infernal  plot  became  known.  A  boy  escaped  from 
Kroon  and  revealed  everything,  the  seizure  of  the  chalet 
and  the  capture  of  her  Highness  the  Regent." 

Temple  let  his  eyes  pass  critically  along  the  units 
of  the  company  of  guards.  "  I  really  believe,"  he  said, 
"  that  you  stand  a  good  chance  to  win  in  the  fight. 
After  all,  Doletsch  does  not  strike  one  as  highly  capable." 

"Doletsch!"  Du  Vallon  echoed  the  name.  He  was 
surprised  at  this  sentiment  and  its  detachment;  and 
then  his  characteristic  temperament  asserted  itself. 
"  Why,  if  his  Excellency  would  only  give  orders  we  would 
wipe  out  this  brood  of  traitors.  But,  unfortunately,  my 
orders  only  are  to  make  a  reconnaissance." 

Suddenly  Temple  broke  into  laughter;  not  loud  or 
challenging,  but  low  and  almost  private.  Du  Vallon 
looked  at  him,  as  if  he  thought  his  prisoner  had  lost  his 
senses.  Philip  had  realized  the  irony  of  the  situation. 
Here  he  was  in  the  hands  of  one  party  who  accused  him 
of  treason,  while  the  other  party  would  undoubtedly 
attribute  the  failure  of  the  plot  to  his  disclosure.  He 
was  between  the  devil  and  the  deep  sea,  but  it  must 
be  confessed  that  it  was  not  the  deep  sea  he  feared  so 
much  as  his  Excellency  Count  Cavari,  in  whose  power 
he  now  was. 

Captain  du  Vallon  made  his  reconnaissance  and 
retreated  on  Waldthal  by  dark,  carrying  with  him  his 
prisoner.  In  spite  of  his  frank  expression  of  animosity 
to  Temple,  he  kept  beside  him,  and  talked  a  good  deal. 
Temple's  case  distressed  him;  he  could  make  nothing 
of  it. 


250  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"And  to  think  that  I  was  such  a  fool  to  be  taken  in 
from  that  very  night  when  you  entered  Waldthal  and 
I  entertained  you.  Why,  you  came  meditating  treachery. 
Sir  Philip,  I  wish  I  were  free  to  act  by  you  as  I  would 
and  as  is  right,"  he  ended  with  an  impulsive  outburst 
of  ferocity. 

"Is  it  that  they  say?"  inquired  Temple  slowly.  "Is 
that  what  his  Excellency  says  ?  " 

"That  you  have  plotted  against  the  dynasty  from 
the  moment  you  set  foot  in  the  grand-duchy,  that  you 
were  working  with  the  Suabian  party  from  the  outset. 
Yes,  that  is  said.  Of  course  we  know  it  is  so." 

" I  wonder,"  said  Philip,  half  to  himself  —  "I  wonder 
exactly  how  much  of  that  the  Chancellor  believes." 

"Believes!"  Du  Vallon  fired.  "All  the  truth,  all 
that  there  is,  that  is  proved." 

"Captain,"  replied  Philip,  with  his  pleasant  smile, 
"Truth  is  said  to  be  in  a  well  and  drowned.  You 
remember  I  entered  Waldthal  on  a  mission  of  mercy." 

"  Yes.  Ah !  It  was  a  good  excuse,  a  most  skillful 
entrance."  Du  Vallon  nodded  his  head.  "I  can  talk 
to  you  now  just  like  this,  because  you  are  in  his  Ex- 
cellency's hands.  There  is  no  question  as  to  how  he 
will  deal  with  you.  Otherwise  I  should  never  be  like 
this  before  you.  I  wish  it  was  otherwise.  But  I  obey 
orders.  Oh,  yes,  a  fine  dramatic  entrance." 

He  felt  that  he  was  indulging  a  prisoner  in  the 
condemned  cell.  All  was  over  for  this  meddlesome 
Englishman. 

"Why  do  you  suppose  I  am  here?"  asked  Temple 
suddenly. 

"  By  the  Grace  of  God,  and  my  good  luck."  Du  Val- 
lon spread  out  his  hands  in  a  gesture. 


THE  CAPTURE  251 

"  If  I  told  you  that  I  had  come  with  the  express  pur- 
pose of  warning  you  against  the  plot  to  kidnap  the 
Grand  Duke "  said  Philip  and  paused. 

"  My  dear  sir,  you  may  say  so  if  it  pleases  you,"  said 
Captain  du  Vallon  airily. 

"But  the  man  behind  was  Prince  Albrecht's  man 
pursuing  me,"  protested  Philip. 

"It  is  a  pity  in  that  case  we  failed  to  capture  him," 
said  Du  Vallon  indifferently. 

Temple  turned  away.  All  the  facts,  as  seen  by  this 
simple-minded  and  elemental  soldier,  were  dead  against 
him.  It  was  hopeless  to  argue  with  him.  And  he  saw 
beyond  to  other  and  succeeding  arguments,  when  life 
should  be  wholly  at  stake,  and  he  winced  and  looked 
aside.  For  if  Du  Vallon  would  not  be  convinced  — 
Du  Vallon,  his  friend  —  how  much  chance  had  he 
with  Cavari  his  enemy  ? 

It  was  evident  that  he  had  none,  as  he  realized  to 
the  full  when  they  arrived  at  the  Castle.  He  was  put 
into  a  guard-room,  pleasant  enough  in  appearance, 
and  prettily  situated  with  an  outlook  over  the  valley  and 
village  below;  and  he  was  served  with  food  and  wine 
like  an  honored  guest.  It  was  some  time  later  that  the 
Chancellor  visited  him.  There  was  no  change  visible 
in  his  Excellency's  face,  and  his  expression  showed  no 
sign  of  triumph.  He  greeted  Temple  with  formal 
courtesy  and  took  a  seat. 

"The  time  seems  to  have  come  for  a  settlement 
between  us,  Sir  Philip  Temple,"  he  said,  speaking  in 
an  even,  cold  tone. 

"  I  agree  with  your  Excellency,"  said  Philip,  measur- 
ing him  with  undisturbed  eyes.  "I  should  very  much 
like  a  settlement." 


252  ALISE  OF  ASIBA 

"  You  realize  the  nature  of  your  offense  ?  I  warned 
you  some  time  back.  I  gave  you  your  chance,  and  you 
refused  to  take  it.  You  chose  to  defy  me.  What  I 
foresaw  then  has  come  about." 

"The  seizure  of  the  Castle  of  Sturm?"  inquired 
Philip  politely. 

But  the  Chancellor  held  the  winning  cards,  and  he 
did  not  even  acknowledge  the  hit  by  a  difference  of 
tone. 

"You  have  violated  the  hospitality  of  the  grand- 
duchy,"  he  continued  in  his  judicial  voice,  "  and  thrown 
in  your  lot  with  its  enemies.  For  such  an  act  there  can 
only  be  one  name  and  one  penalty." 

"  '  I  '11  be  judge,  I  '11  be  jury,' 
Said  cunning  old  Fury." 

The  jingle  from  "Alice  in  Wonderland"  adapted 
itself  to  the  situation  in  Philip's  head.  "  I  wonder," 
he  said,  repeating  his  query  put  to  Du  Vallon,  "how 
much  you  believe  of  it  all." 

The  Chancellor  met  his  gaze  steadily.  "I  assume," 
he  said,  "  that  a  native  willfulness  and  perhaps  a  sense 
of  adventure  have  led  you  into  this  pass ;  but  I  can  hold 
out  no  hopes  on  that  ground.  I  must  warn  you  to  be 
prepared." 

"I  am  quite  prepared,"  replied  Temple  simply. 

The  Chancellor  bowed  and  rang  a  bell,  which  brought 
in  an  orderly. 

"Call  Captain  du  Vallon,"  he  commanded,  and  for 
a  moment  after  the  message  had  gone  stared  mutely 
at  the  table.  "  I  regret,"  he  said  slowly  after  this  silence, 
"that  this  is  the  end.  I  have  no  option." 

What  was  there  in  that  passionless,  hard  voice  that 


THE  CAPTUKE  253 

had  altered?  Was  it  possible  that  a  touch  of  emotion 
entered  it?  For  a  moment  Philip  had  a  vision  of  the 
father  of  pretty  Truda  patting  her  hair.  In  that  prosaic 
voice  was  there  indeed  a  note  of  regret,  of  pain  even,  of 
dumb  resignation  ?  Philip  stared  at  the  gray  face  before 
him,  and  then  the  door  opened.  Du  Vallon  entered 
with  two  of  his  men  and  the  Chancellor  lifted  his  eyes. 

"  Convey  the  prisoner  to  the  court,"  he  said  harshly. 

Temple  wondered.  Was  he  to  be  tried  now  ?  Surely 
not.  Legal  forms  would  have  to  be  considered.  He 
passed  under  guard  along  the  corridors,  and  as  he  passed 
there  returned  to  him  a  memory,  worn  with  strange 
emotions.  Was  it  not  here  that  passing  once  (how 
many  years  back  was  it?)  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of 
a  gray  figure  fading  into  gloom  ?  He  looked  down  the 
corridor  shrouded  in  twilight.  But  he  remembered  that 
the  Princess  Alise  was  in  Sturm,  a  prisoner  like  him- 
self, and  probably  held  to  ransom.  A  whirl  of  odd 
sensations,  some  pleasurable  and  others  painful,  filled 
him.  He  looked  back  on  the  eventful  weeks  which 
lay  between  his  first  and  his  second  visit  to  the  Castle 
of  Waldthal.  They  seemed  crowded  with  incidents, 
with  adventure,  with  life.  He  had  begun  inauspiciously 
with  death ;  and  he  was  to  end 

His  guards  stopped  before  a  door,  and  he  was  con- 
ducted into  a  fairly  large  and  well-lighted  chamber. 
At  a  table  at  the  head  of  the  room  sat  three  men  in 
military  costume,  two  in  conversation,  and  the  third 
turning  over  some  papers.  They  looked  up  as  the 
party  entered,  and  Captain  du  Vallon  saluted  and  went 
forward  to  speak  to  the  man  in  the  middle.  Presently 
the  latter  nodded  and  looked  at  Temple. 

"Sir  Philip  Temple?"  he  said  inquiringly. 


254  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"I  am  he,  gentlemen,  but  may  I  ask  who  are  you?" 
said  Philip,  in  a  clear,  steady  voice. 

"This  is  the  court  appointed  to  try  your  case,"  said 
the  other  briefly. 

"The  court!"  exclaimed  Philip.  "But  my  trial,  I 
assume,  will  be  by  the  ordinary  courts." 

"You  seem  to  be  unaware,  sir,"  said  the  President, 
"that  martial  law  has  been  proclaimed  in  Eisenburg." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   REGENT   SIGNS 

Chancellor  had  refused  to  recognize  the  real 
-1-  state  of  affairs  until  forcible  circumstances  com- 
pelled him.  All  along,  as  has  been  pointed  out,  the 
pretense  was  made  on  both  sides  that  Albrecht's  seizure 
of  Sturm  was  not  political.  The  Chancellor  had  made 
the  pretense  because  otherwise  he  would  have  been 
compelled  to  recognize  a  state  of  war,  and  he  was  un- 
prepared for  that.  So  he  temporized  while  he  hurried 
on  preparations  and  the  army  was  being  mobilized. 
The  seizure  of  Kroon,  however,  and  the  capture  of  the 
Regent,  overt  acts  of  war,  had  left  him  no  option.  The 
army  had  received  its  orders  and  was  camping  at  that 
moment  on  the  flank  of  Eisenburg  city;  and  martial 
law  had  been  proclaimed  throughout  the  grand-duchy. 
Waldthal  was  protected  by  the  regiment  of  guards, 
whose  colonel  now  presided  over  the  tribunal  which 
was  to  decide  as  to  Sir  Philip  Temple's  guilt. 

Colonel  Lastner  was  a  man  of  vigor  and  decision 
and  was  a  soldier  to  the  finger-tips.  He  was  also  a 
patriotic  adherent  of  the  Wolfgangs. 

"If  we  make  an  example  of  the  first  scoundrel  we 
have  caught,  we  shall  go  far  to  frighten  the  others," 
he  said  to  his  colleague,  Major  Tepac.  For  all  that 
the  loyalists  had  to  fear  was  death  in  honest  battle; 
whereas  for  the  invaders,  if  vanquished,  remained  a 


256  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

dishonorable  death  by  execution.  As  Philip,  passing 
the  length  of  the  corridor,  had  recalled  an  earlier  epi- 
sode in  his  life,  so  now,  facing  the  court  over  which 
Colonel  Lastner  presided,  he  recalled  his  mock  trial 
in  Waldthal  and  the  smooth  face  of  M.  Preval.  The 
faces  of  his  present  judges  showed  nothing  of  that 
smoothness.  They  were  as  hard  and  as  wooden  as  that 
of  the  Chancellor  himself.  A  recital  of  the  charges 
against  him  followed  the  line  which  Temple  had  ex- 
pected. It  was  a  long  and  formal  document,  and  he 
wondered  as  he  listened  how  it  had  been  compiled  in 
so  brief  a  space.  Then  it  flashed  through  him  that  it 
had  not  been  compiled  since  his  arrest;  it  had  been 
ready  waiting.  Oh  for  some  means  of  tearing  out  of 
the  Chancellor  his  secret !  The  riddle  which  had  be- 
wildered him  so  long,  all  through  his  stay  in  Eisenburg, 
which  had  indeed  been  the  magnet  keeping  him  in  the 
grand-duchy,  was  still  bewildering  him.  He  had  come 
no  nearer  solving  it,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  might  die 
now,  leaving  it  eternally  unsolved. 

But  if  the  recital  was  long,  not  so  were  the  proceed- 
ings. They  were  confined  with  military  brevity  to 
evidence  of  facts.  When  little  Kuss  appeared  to  his 
call  Temple,  remembering  the  suspicions  which  had 
grown  in  him  of  late,  was  not  surprised;  but  he  was 
surprised  at  the  remarkable  care  with  which  his  move- 
ments had  been  followed.  Spies  had  been  at  his  heels 
ever  since  his  appearance  in  Waldthal.  He  had  been 
thought  worth  watching  from  the  outset.  He  remem- 
bered little  Kuss  at  his  elbows  again  and  again.  There 
he  was  looking  at  his  telegram  in  a  post-office,  and 
there  he  was  again  at  Lasheim,  talking  to  the  chauffeur, 
the  chauffeur  who  had  played  him  false.  It  was  easy 


THE  REGENT  SIGNS  257 

to  demonstrate  through  Kuss's  testimony  that  Sir 
Philip  Temple  had  been  at  the  conference  of  the  con- 
spirators in  the  house  of  one  Herr  Kartolen,  otherwise 
Count  von  Hauser,  agent  of  the  Suabian  Pretender. 
It  was  easy  to  demonstrate  that  he  had  appeared  in 
the  nick  of  time  to  rescue  Prince  Albrecht,  when  he 
should  have  been  seized  by  the  Chancellor's  secret 
police.  It  was  proved  that  he  was  familiar  with  Baron 
Favrinck,  "a  notorious  partisan"  of  the  Suabian;  and 
he  had  been  the  guest  of  Prince  Albrecht  himself  at 
Sturm.  He  was  sworn  to  as  being  present  in  the  Prince's 
suite  at  the  Round  Table  conference  by  two  military 
witnesses.  When  finally  Captain  du  Vallon  came  to 
the  table  the  prisoner  saw  the  net  closing  about  him. 
Du  Vallon  testified  to  the  arrest  of  the  prisoner  as  he 
was  descending  the  Kroon  road. 

Regarding  his  judges  steadfastly,  Philip  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  they  were  honest  men,  and  not  such 
as  the  judges  before  whom  he  had  previously  appeared. 
But  it  was  equally  clear  to  him  that  they  were  preju- 
diced and  blinded  by  their  prejudice  in  that  critical 
hour  of  Eisenburg's  history.  To  his  explanation  of 
his  presence  in  Von  Hauser's  room  he  received  no 
response  but  silence;  his  statement  of  the  relations  with 
Baron  Favrinck  was  heard  with  manifest  impatience; 
and  his  description  of  his  rescue  of  Prince  Albrecht  as 
accidental  was  received  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

"  I  did  n't  even  know  who  he  was,"  he  protested, 
and  here  for  the  first  and  only  time  a  grin  went  round 
the  court. 

"You  deny  also,  I  suppose,  that  you  have  been  at 
Sturm  with  the  Pretender?"  asked  the  President  with 
sarcasm. 


258  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"No,  I  was  there,  but  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
Prince's  schemes.  I  was  there  as  one  gentleman  stay- 
ing with  another.  I  came  away  from  Sturm  this  after- 
noon for  the  purpose  of  giving  warning  of  the  plot 
against  the  Grand  Duke." 

This  claim  seemed  to  try  the  President's  patience. 
He  lifted  his  eyebrows  and  frowned.  "Where  is  your 
evidence  of  that?"  he  inquired  brusquely. 

"I  have  no  doubt  Prince  Albrecht  would  testify  to 
the  truth  of  my  statement,"  said  Philip,  feeling  as  he 
spoke  the  weakness  of  his  position. 

"Unfortunately,  you  are  not  in  a  position  to  call 
Prince  Albrecht,  whose  testimony,  moreover,  would  be 
open  to  suspicion,"  observed  the  President  dryly,  and 
feeling  that  things  were  not  being  conducted  with 
proper  military  speed,  he  hastened  forward. 

The  verdict  and  sentence  of  the  court  had  by  this 
time  become  a  foregone  conclusion.  Philip  was  aware 
of  it,  and  he  heard  both  with  an  impassive  face.  His 
clear,  fine  eyes  moved  deliberately  from  one  to  another 
of  his  judges  all  the  while,  and  as  the  President's  voice 
ceased  they  strayed  to  where  the  witnesses  sat.  Cap- 
tain du  Vallon's  gaze  took  hold  of  his  and  dwelt 
there  for  a  moment.  The  soldier's  expressed  more 
than  the  prisoner's;  it  was  sad  and  dull  and  re- 
proachful. At  the  touch  of  his  guard  Philip  Temple 
turned,  and  walked  from  the  room  without  having 
spoken. 

To  Count  Cavari  in  his  room,  busily  engaged  over 
the  telephone  with  the  General  in  command  at  Eisen- 
burg,  came  news  of  the  court  martial's  findings.  He 
took  the  document  from  his  secretary,  and  read  it 
slowly.  The  secretary  went  on  with  his  work,  and  the 


THE  REGENT  SIGNS  259 

Chancellor  sat  back  in  his  chair,  the  telephone  receiver 
in  his  hand  for  a  moment  forgotten.  At  what  was  he 
looking?  What  vision  was  flitting  through  his  mind? 
Here  was  a  clear  case  for  rejoicing,  in  that  a  dangerous 
enemy  of  the  dynasty  had  come  to  his  proper  end. 
Yet  he  did  not  look  triumphant.  Dangerous !  Ah, 
yes;  this  was  the  end  of  a  danger,  a  grave  danger. 
He  was  right.  He  sighed  as  it  might  be  from  relief 
and  lifted  the  receiver,  and  at  that  instant  an  excited 
official  burst  into  the  room  unceremoniously. 

"Your  Excellency,  her  Highness  has  arrived  from 
Sturm." 

The  Count  laid  the  receiver  on  the  table,  and  stared 
at  his  subordinate. 

"Her  Highness  has  arrived!"  he  repeated.  "I  do 
not  understand." 

"  Her  Highness  was  released  and  sent  forward  under 
escort  from  Sturm,"  said  the  official. 

The  Chancellor  rose.  "  I  must  see  her  at  once.  Keep 
the  end  of  this  wire,"  he  commanded,  "and  report 
at  once  any  information  that  comes  through  from  the 
capital,  particularly  despatches  from  Generals  Mainz 
and  Dorreller.  The  movements  in  Montrais  are  of 
special  importance." 

He  passed  out  of  the  room  on  these  words,  and  his 
steps  rang  sharply  in  the  passage.  The  Princess  had 
arrived !  It  was  news  he  had  not  expected,  and  he 
wondered  what  it  portended.  Could  it  mean  by  any 
possibility  that  the  Suabian  had  thrown  up  the  sponge  ? 
Or  was  it  a  step  in  some  deeper  plot  ? 

It  seemed  that  it  signified  neither  surrender  nor 
finesse.  The  Princess  was  resting  back  in  her  chair 
when  he  was  admitted,  and  looked  tired  and  pale,  but 


260  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

she  sprang  into  life  at  once  as  she  extended  her  hand 
and  he  bowed  over  it. 

"You  have  done  well,  your  Excellency.  Your  action 
was  most  prompt.  You  have  saved  the  Grand  Duke," 
she  cried  impulsively. 

A  faint  flash  stirred  in  the  grayness  of  the  Chan- 
cellor's cheeks.  "I  am  honored  by  your  Highness's 
appreciation,"  he  said.  "The  providential  escape  of 
the  page  enabled  us  to  change  our  plans  in  time.  He 
reported  the  presence  of  the  enemy  and  your  seizure. 
I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  congratulate  your  Highness  on 
your  escape." 

"Escape!  No,  it  was  a  release,  Count."  Alise  bit 
her  lip  and  frowned.  "They  had  no  further  use  for 
me.  They  relied  upon  the  plot  going  through;  and 
when  it  failed  there  was  no  point  in  detaining  me. 
At  least,  I  don't  know.  Perhaps  they  thought  they 
had  succeeded.  I  thought  so,  until  I  reached  Wald- 
thal.  No,  but  they  must  have  known.  It  was  Count 
von  Hauser  who  released  me.  I  saw  the  Suabian  but 
once,  odious  wretch,  and  he  jeered  at  me.  He  was " 

She  paused  as  the  tall,  unanswering  figure  of  Temple 
crossed  her  mind. 

"It  is  war  now,"  she  said  abruptly. 

"It  is  war,"  agreed  Cavari,  "but  the  odds  are  on 
our  side.  General  Mainz  has  five  thousand  troops 
which  he  can  throw  north  or  south.  We  are  watching 
the  Graumark  border.  Colonel  Scheiller  holds  the 
road  to  the  north.  I  am  expecting  to  hear  Dorreller's 
report  at  any  moment.  That  should  tell  us  where  to 
strike  the  main  blow." 

The  Princess  listened  intently.  "  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear 
this,  your  Excellency,"  she  said,  flushing.  "I  see  you 


THE  REGENT  SIGNS  261 

were  right  in  your  tactics;  you  waited  till  the  organi- 
zation was  complete.  I  withdraw  my  criticism.  I  am 
afraid  I  have  often  been  impatient." 

The  Chancellor  was  not  the  man  to  take  undue 
advantage  of  this  generous  apology.  He  bowed,  and 
a  little  smile  illumined  his  face. 

"I  think  we  can  rely  on  our  generals.  The  mo- 
bilization has  been  quite  successful;  and  now  that 
your  Highness  is  back  to  inspire  the  Army  with 
enthusiasm " 

"It  is  the  Grand  Duke's  part,"  she  interrupted 
quickly. 

"The  Grand  Duke  is  an  infant,"  said  the  Count, 
still  smiling,  "and  is  represented  by  the  Regent.  It 
is  around  the  Regent  as  representative  of  his  Highness 
that  patriotism  will  center." 

"You  think  so?  If  I  can  be  of  that  amount  of  use 

then "  She  sighed.  "  In  times  like  this  one  feels 

only  a  woman.  They  tell  me  that  there  has  been  a 
court  martial  held  to-night,"  she  added  slowly. 

The  Chancellor's  face  set;  he  had  other  work  before 
him,  and  if  his  countenance  had  been  accustomed  to 
register  the  changes  of  his  mood,  it  would  have  darkened. 
It  was  ill  luck  that  the  Regent  should  have  heard  that 
news  so  soon.  He  had  been  master  in  Waldthal  until 
her  arrival,  and  he  would  have  acted  for  himself  and 
Eisenburg.  Now  he  was  under  orders  again.  If  only 
her  return  had  been  delayed  till  the  morning ! 

"I  accepted,  as  I  was  obliged  to  accept,  the  seizure 
of  Kroon  and  the  capture  of  your  Highness  as  an  overt 
act  of  war,"  he  said  quietly.  "I  immediately  gave 
orders  to  establish  martial  law  in  the  grand-duchy, 
fearing  an  outbreak  in  Eisenburg.  I  am  inclined  to 


262  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

think  that  the  prompt  measure  averted  the  danger  of  a 
rising  among  the  discontented  classes  there." 

Alise  looked  at  the  table.  "And  you  had  the  first 
trial  this  evening." 

Cavari  bowed.  "The  case  was  urgent.  It  was 
necessary  to  show  the  conspirators  that  we  would  strike 
at  once  and  strike  hard." 

The  Princess  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  she 
spoke  in  a  metallic  voice. 

"Where  is  the  finding  of  the  court?" 

"  I  will  send  for  it  with  your  Highness's  permission," 
he  answered,  and  the  necessary  instructions  were  given. 

When  the  document  arrived  the  Regent  took  it,  laid 
it  on  the  table  before  her  under  the  strong  electric  light, 
and  began  to  read.  It  was  couched  in  formal  phrases 
and  legal  terms  which  bewildered  her  and  angered 
her.  She  read  a  page,  and  then  turned  it  impatiently 
over. 

"Is  all  this  proved?"  she  inquired. 

"Beyond  question,"  he  answered. 

She  read  on,  frowning,  and  turned  another  page. 
She  laid  it  aside  impatiently. 

"Why  did  this  foreigner  mix  himself  up  in  our 
affairs?"  she  demanded  angrily. 

"Possibly  he  became  interested  in  it  as  a  sport. 
Perhaps  he  was  influenced  by  friendship." 

"No,  he  would  not  - 

She  did  not  conclude.  It  was  a  scrap  of  her  thoughts 
thrown  at  him,  torn  from  its  context. 

"  It  may  be  it  was  a  matter  of  ambition  or  gain " 

"No,"  she  broke  in  sharply.  "It  could  not  be  that. 
The  Temples  of  Templemore  are  a  wealthy  family 
and  of  ancient  descent."  He  noted  that  she  must  have 


THE  REGENT  SIGNS  263 

made  inquiries  as  to  the  family  —  possibly  from  the 
Duke  of  Collingham. 

"The  point  is,"  observed  his  Excellency,  "that  he 
did  so  intervene,  and  must  take  the  consequences." 

"Yes,  he  must  take  the  consequences,"  she  said 
harshly,  and  taking  up  the  report  turned  the  pages 
quickly  till  she  reached  the  end.  Her  eyes  alighted 
on  a  sentence,  which  was  the  sentence.  She  read  it 
twice,  and  then  it  blurred.  She  held  the  page  up  into 
the  light  with  tremulous  hands,  and  then  the  blur  faded 
and  it  appeared  as  it  were  in  letters  of  flame.  "  Is  —  is 
that  the  sentence  of  the  court?"  she  inquired,  in  a  slow 
voice  which  she  struggled  to  keep  within  control. 

The  Chancellor  was  confident.  The  interview  after 
all  had  taken  place  auspiciously,  while  the  Regent  was 
feeling  distinctly  grateful  to  him  for  the  Grand  Duke's 
safety.  He  did  not  notice  the  hands  that  trembled 
or  the  voice  that  faltered. 

"That  is  the  sentence,  your  Highness,"  he  said. 
"It  is  the  only  sentence  possible  for  such  an  offense." 

"And — when "     She  ceased,  looking  at  him. 

The  Chancellor  stirred.  He  saw  something  in  her 
face. 

"I  had  fixed  six  o'clock  to-morrow  morning,"  he 
said,  wondering. 

"Six  o'clock!"  Alise  involuntarily  glanced  at  the 
gilt  Empire  clock  whose  ticking  she  could  of  a  sudden 
hear  so  plainly.  It  was  ten  o'clock.  Eight  hours ! 

"  It  is  necessary,"  she  said,  picking  her  words,  "  that 
this  should  be  signed  by  you,  and  countersigned  by 
me  as  Regent." 

"  That  is  so,  your  Highness,"  returned  Cavari. 

Alise  rose  from  her  chair.    "Do  you  know,  Count," 


264  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

said  she  unexpectedly,  "I  am  both  hungry  and  tired. 
I  think  we  must  postpone  further  business  till  later. 
Would  you  oblige  me  by  ringing  that  bell?  Thank 
you!" 

She  watched  him  leave,  wondering  to  see  him  so 
slight  and  worn.  She  had  not  noticed  before.  In 
her  hand  was  the  court-martial  document,  which  she 
had  not  offered  to  return  to  him.  He  was  quite  alive  to 
that  fact,  and  his  mind  was  engaged  on  it  as  he  went 
out.  Did  she  want  to  study  it  ?  She  had  always  shown 
a  reluctance  to  act  against  this  Englishman.  He  could 
not  understand  the  reason. 

Nor  could  Alise  herself.  Her  reference  to  her  hunger 
was  but  a  feint,  though  she  was  exhausted  enough  by 
her  untoward  experiences.  She  felt  the  need  of  some 
advice,  of  some  sympathy,  and  there  was  none  to  whom 
she  might  turn.  Eisenburg  was  plunged  in  civil  war, 
and  —  she  regarded  the  face  of  the  document  she  held, 
as  she  sat  in  her  private  boudoir  —  this  Sir  Philip  Tem- 
ple, with  the  clear,  clean  blue  eyes,  had  been  one  of 
those  who  brought  it  about.  She  drank  a  cup  of  coffee, 
and  sent  for  one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting,  a  cheerful, 
risible  creature  with  a,  flair  for  stories.  But  after  half 
an  hour  of  this  relaxation  she  tired,  the  flow  of  talk 
irritated  her,  and  she  dismissed  her  companion.  She 
thought  of  sleep,  but  her  brain  was  wide  awake;  and 
she  decided  that  it  was  the  coffee.  Her  eyes  fell  on  the 
document  of  the  court  martial.  "The  sentence  of  the 

court  is "    At  six  o'clock  he  would  be  shot,  this 

meddling  Englishman,  if  she  put  her  signature  there  — 
just  on  tjiat  white  space  —  "Alise  of  Astra,  Regent." 
She  could  almost  see  the  letters  there.     No,   it  was 
blank !    They  would  take  a  man's  life,  written  there. 


THE  REGENT  SIGNS  265 

She  had  never  anticipated  that  such  a  duty  would  be 
thrust  upon  her.  Why  had  the  Chancellor  not  managed 
it  without  her?  She  forgot.  She  had  returned  and 

was  responsible.  If  she  had  not  returned No ; 

she  was  glad  she  had  returned,  so  that  she  could  stop 
it.  It  was  not  necessary  to  take  such  extreme  steps. 
Why  had  he  looked  at  her  like  that,  the  Englishman 
with  the  clear,  kind,  still  blue  eyes?  Well,  he  had 
thrown  in  his  lot  with  this  Suabian  wretch,  and  he  must 
pay  the  penalty.  But  that  penalty  need  not  be  death; 
it  might  be  imprisonment,  or 

Alise  of  Astra  had  reached  this  point  in  her  troubled 
reflections  when  she  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance 
of  one  of  her  ladies.  His  Excellency  the  Chancellor 
begged  an  audience,  if  her  Highness  had  not  yet 
retired.  Matters  of  urgency  alone  were  his  excuse. 

The  Chancellor  was  admitted.  This  boudoir  of 
the  Regent  was  not  a  very  spacious  room.  It  was 
rather  a  place  she  was  wont  to  use  for  her  private 
meditations,  a  moderate-sized,  pleasant  chamber,  with 
windows  to  the  east  and  to  the  south,  where  the  range 
of  the  Odenstock  lay  black  against  a  lighter  night. 
The  stars  were  out  in  heaven.  She  turned  to  receive 
his  Excellency. 

"I  would  not  have  trespassed  upon  your  Highness's 
rest,"  he  said  rapidly,  "but  for  my  news.  We  have 
heard  from  General  Mainz.  Dorreller  reports  the 
departure  of  a  large  force  from  Montrais  northwards. 
He  conjectures  that  a  junction  with  Prince  Albrecht's 
forces  is  aimed  at." 

"This  means ?"  exclaimed  the  Princess,  breath- 
ing hard. 

"Unless  we  are  able  to  intercept  or  head  them  off, 


266  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

the  junction  threatens  Eisenburg  and  the  Castle,"  said 
the  Count  shortly. 

"They  must  be  intercepted  and  crushed,"  declared 
Alise,  crushing  her  own  hands  together.  "Your  Ex- 
cellency, give  orders  to  that  effect.  They  shall  not  win 
in  this  iniquitous  struggle,  this  sordid  conspiracy." 

She  moved  restlessly  to  and  fro,  her  fingers  inter- 
locked. 

"The  report  from  Valovia  is  satisfactory,"  pursued 
the  Chancellor.  "No  movements  have  been  observed 
there.  So  far  Waldthal  is  safe." 

"  It  shall  be  safe  so  long  as  it  shelters  the  Grand 
Duke,"  said  Alise  vehemently.  "Let  General  Mainz 
reinforce  us  with  another  regiment.  Perhaps  they 
will  strike  here." 

"It  is  certain  they  would  like  to,  as  their  previous 
plot  indicated;  but  there  would  be  more  danger  in 
Eisenburg.  The  Schloss  has  no  defenses,  and  there 
is  always  the  possibility  of  a  rising.  The  Castle  has 
withstood  many  leaguers." 

The  Princess's  eyes  were  shining.  "  I  trust  to  you," 
she  said,  impulsively  putting  out  a  hand.  "You  are 
both  strong  and  wise." 

The  Chancellor  bowed.  "We  shall  strike  and 
strike  hard  even  before  they  know  it.  I  will  go  back 
at  once  and  send  instructions  to  General  Mainz.  Dor- 
reller  will  have  the  Montrais  force  under  observation. 
If  your  Highness  will  give  me  the  paper  you  have 
signed  I  will  put  matters  in  order." 

The  Princess  looked  down  at  the  paper  on  the  table. 
Her  eyes  were  blazing  in  the  twilight,  as  her  heart 
blazed  in  the  darkness. 

"We  must  strike,"  he  said. 


THE  REGENT  SIGNS  267 

"Yes,  yes,"  she  exclaimed,  and  sat  suddenly  before 
the  table,  pulling  a  pen  from  a  buhl  tray  before  her. 
She  dipped  it  in  ink,  and  signed  with  a  bold  flourish  — 
"Alise  of  Astra,  Regent." 

"Take  it,"  she  cried,  rising.  "Take  it!  There  is 
only  one  way  with  enemies  of  his  Highness,  traitors 
to  the  State.  Take  it!" 

The  Chancellor  bowed  silently,  and  swiftly  left  the 
room. 


CHAPTER  XX 

DAWN   IN  THE   CASTLE 

WHEN  he  was  gone  the  Princess  moved  to  the 
window  and  looked  out.  The  light  beyond 
the  dark  mountains  drew  her  eyes.  It  was  somewhere 
beyond  those  heights  that  the  rebel  forces  were  moving 
to  effect  a  junction  with  the  Pretender's  troops  at  Sturm. 
General  Mainz  must  strike  between  and  prevent  that 
junction.  Perhaps  he  was  even  now  on  his  way,  in 
obedience  to  the  Chancellor's  instructions  over  the 
telephone.  Count  Cavari  had  done  well;  he  had  used 
Fabian  tactics,  and  by  waiting  had  got  the  advantage 
of  an  unscrupulous  enemy.  She  watched  the  mountain- 
tops  on  which  the  light  of  the  starred  sky  seemed  to 
rest.  It  must  be  past  midnight,  and  creeping  on  towards 
dawn.  She  consulted  her  watch  and  found  the  exact 
time.  Dawn  seemed  already  heralded  in  the  east  by 
the  shimmering  gray  that  broke  over  Eisenburg  and 
the  distant  plains.  Within  two  hours  it  would  be  light; 
and  after  that  would  come  six  o'clock.  She  started. 
There  had  been  nothing  in  the  document  about  six 
o'clock.  She  ought  to  have  seen  to  that.  Why  need 
it  be  six?  She  saw  her  name  written  in  letters,  black, 
thick,  and  ominous,  where  there  had  only  been  a  blank. 
Did  the  letters  matter  so  much  as  all  that  ?  She  wished 
she  had  not  signed.  She  cried  out  in  alarm  and  fright. 
She  ought  not  to  have  signed  ! 


DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE  269 

She  had  never  condemned  a  man  to  death  before. 
It  was  a  shame  that  authority  should  put  such  a  terrible 
responsibility  upon  her.  She  had  not  asked  the  Chan- 
cellor; but  now  she  breathed  the  question  to  herself 
fearfully.  Would  he  be  shot  ?  Would  he  be  —  oh  no, 
it  could  not  be  so  horrible  as  that.  She  recalled  those 
kindly  clear  eyes.  Perhaps  it  was  all  a  mistake.  What 
had  the  Duke  said  of  him  ? 

"His  mother  was  one  of  my  earliest  friends,  and 
I  've  always  heard  good  accounts  of  him." 

Yes,  there  must  be  a  mistake,  a  grievous  and  a  ter- 
rible mistake.  What  had  he  said  when  they  were  in 
the  twilight  of  the  wharf  together  that  day  ?  She  could 
not  remember,  as  her  mind  was  too  dazed;  but  she 
recalled  the  billet  he  had  carried.  He  had  killed  a 
man  then.  No,  he  had  only  been  injured.  And  it  was 
done  for  her.  Well,  this  was  to  be  done  for  the  child 
in  its  cradle,  for  her  dead  sister's  son,  for  the  heir  and 
last  of  the  Wolfgangs. 

Need  it  be  death?  She  caught  at  this  suddenly, 
wildly.  Why  need  it  be  death?  She  would  go  to  the 
Chancellor  and  tell  him  her  wish.  The  penalty  must 
be  altered.  It  was  to  be  at  six  o'clock.  Feverishly  she 
looked  at  her  watch  again.  The  dawn  lingered  yet. 
The  Castle  was  wrapped  in  silence,  yet  there  were 
watchers.  She  rang  a  bell  and  summoned  the  officer  of 
the  guard. 

"Will  you  find  his  Excellency  and  say  I  wish  to 
speak  with  him  on  a  matter  of  importance."  She  had 
regained  some  of  her  self-possession  with  her  decision. 

"I  beg  your  Highness's  pardon,"  said  Captain 
du  Vallon,  "but  his  Excellency  is  absent.  He  left 
the  Castle  an  hour  ago  to  inspect  the  defenses  at 
Valovia." 


270  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

He  had  gone  then,  and  had  no  doubt  made  his  ar- 
rangements before  going.  Something  like  a  panic 
seized  Alise. 

"  Tell  me  where  the  prisoner  is  kept,"  she  demanded. 

Captain  du  Vallon  was  surprised  at  the  change  in 
her  voice. 

"Sir  Philip  Temple?"  he  asked.  "In  the  old  guard 
cell,  your  Highness." 

Alise  hesitated  not  a  moment.  "I  wish  to  see  him. 
You  will  take  me  there  at  once." 

Du  Vallon  was  bewildered,  but  as  a  soldier  under 
supreme  orders  he  obeyed.  The  Princess  walked  fast 
along  the  corridors  and  down  the  stairway  to  the  re- 
mote and  ancient  wing  of  the  Castle  in  which  the  colonel 
and  officers  of  the  guards  had  their  quarters.  They 
passed  one  or  two  sentries,  but  the  officer  of  the  guard 
and  his  august  companion  were  unchallenged.  They 
reached  the  guard-cell,  and  at  a  word  from  Du  Vallon 
the  sentinel  turned  the  key  in  the  door. 

"Wait  without,"  commanded  Alise  imperiously. 
"I  will  let  you  know  when  I  have  finished." 

"  Pardon,  your  Highness,  there  is  no  light,"  stammered 
the  Captain. 

"  Give  me  this ;  it  will  do."  She  plucked  the  sentry's 
lantern  from  the  floor.  A  flicker  of  light  wavered  in 
the  passage  that  led  to  the  stone  vault. 

Alise  passed  through  the  opened  door  and  closed 
it  behind  her.  She  flung  the  feeble  light  of  the  lantern 
round  the  cell,  and  was  aware  from  a  sound  that  the 
prisoner  had  risen  ere  the  light  touched  him.  He  stood 
against  the  long  blankness  of  the  wall,  and  he  looked 
at  her  in  silence.  It  was  the  Princess  who  spoke,  hur- 
riedly, yet  with  an  attempt  to  conceal  the  stress  of  her 
emotions. 


DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE  271 

"Sir  Philip,  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  you  are  to 
have  a  fresh  trial.  I  am  not  convinced " 

"Madam!"  he  rushed  in  as  she  ceased  breathless. 
"Is  this  so?  I  owe  it  to  you!  But" — he  looked 
bewildered  —  "  how  are  you  here  ?  I  left  you  a  pris- 
oner in  Sturm." 

"I  am  here  now,"  she  replied,  striving  gallantly  to 
resume  her  dignity  and  the  aloof  indifference  proper 
to  her  station.  "  It  has  been  brought  to  my  notice  that 
there  is  a  certain  question  as  to  the  interpretation  of  your 
actions,  and  I  have  decided  that  a  re-trial  is  necessary." 

"And  you  have  come  to  tell  me  that !"  he  exclaimed, 
wondering.  "  How  shall  I  thank  you  !  It  is  a  beautiful 
and  gracious  act." 

Sweeping  through  her  heart  Alise  was  aware  of  a 
wonder  and  a  fear,  and  even  of  a  resentment.  Why 
had  he  called  her  back  to  the  recognition  of  that?  Of 
course  she  ought  to  have  sent  messengers  formally  to 
him.  Oh,  she  was  furious  with  herself  that  she  had 
so  condescended  and  forgotten  herself  and  demeaned 
herself.  Why  was  she  there,  a  wretched  creature  of 
impulses,  that  never  stayed  to  question  their  wisdom 
or  their  propriety?  In  the  light  of  her  resolution  that 
the  Chancellor  should  have  this  case  re- tried,  it  had 
already  begun  to  seem  a  smaller  affair,  of  little  signifi- 
cance. This  prisoner  no  longer  stood  under  sentence 
of  death.  He  was  merely  now  a  suspect  on  his  defense. 
She  should  turn  and  go  forth,  leaving  him  to  digest 
her  news,  and  to  marvel  at  her  condescension.  That 
exhibition  of  her  pity  angered  her,  and  hardened  her 
face  as  she  gazed  at  him. 

"  I  was  not  satisfied  with  certain  witnesses,"  she  said 
coldly.  "It  may  be  that  the  second  trial  will  confirm 
their  evidence." 


272  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Philip  smiled  very  faintly.  "  I  think  it  will  probably 
do  that,  your  Highness,"  he  said  quietly. 

"What!"  she  cried,  breaking  out.  "Do  you  admit 
your  guilt,  then?  Yes,  you  must.  I  have  interposed 
foolishly." 

Her  eyes  stormed,  but  his  were  very  still.  She  re- 
called them,  clear  and  kind  and  blue. 

"No,"  he  answered,  "I  am  not  guilty;  but  the 
second  trial  will  confirm  the  first." 

"Sir  Philip  Temple,  what  is  it  you  mean?"  she 
demanded. 

"I  do  not  believe,"  he  said  slowly,  "that  the  Chan- 
cellor intends  that  I  should  escape  him." 

"The  Chancellor!  You  would  attribute  to  him  a 
prejudice  against  you?"  she  asked. 

"I  think,"  he  said,  as  slowly  as  before,  "that  the 
Chancellor  is  so  firmly  under  the  impression  that  I 
am  dangerous  to  Eisenburg,  that  he  would  not  be 
willing  to  let  me  slip  through  his  fingers  —  at  any  cost." 

He  had  the  memory  of  many  events,  of  many  hap- 
penings in  his  mind,  things  unknown  to  the  Princess, 
who  stared  at  him  in  bewilderment. 

"If  it  be  proved  that  you  had  no  part  in  this  plot," 
she  said  authoritatively,  "you  are  not  dangerous  to 
the  State." 

"The  Chancellor  may  think  so,"  he  said. 

He  would  have  seemed  to  her  stubborn  but  that  he 
spoke  so  quietly,  as  if  he  had  reason  for  his  statement. 

"Why  should  you  believe  that?"  she  asked. 

"I  have  had  some  experience  of  his  Excellency," 
said  Philip  dryly.  "I  have  felt  his  hand."  Then  he 
changed  his  tone,  for,  after  all,  he  liked  life,  and  she 
was  here  strangely  to  offer  him  a  chance.  "  I  am  deeply 


DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE  273 

sensible  of  your  kindness  in  looking  into  my  case,  your 
Highness "  he  began. 

"It  was  nothing  but  a  sense  of  justice.  I  was  not 
convinced,"  she  interrupted  quickly,  lowering  the 
lantern  so  that  the  faces  of  both  were  but  dimly  visible. 

"  I  am  grateful  for  that  justice  which  I  felt  sure  must 
reside  in  the  sovereignty  of  the  grand-duchy,"  he 
amended  with  a  bow.  "It  is  right  that  the  sovereign 
should  be  the  fount  of  justice.  I  would  appeal  to  justice. 
But,  your  Highness,  it  is  not  possible  that  a  second  trial 
would  have  any  other  result  than  the  first." 

"If  you  are  innocent  it  would  have,"  she  said,  like 
a  princess. 

"It  is  not  a  question  of  innocence,  madam;  it  is  a 
question  of  the  Chancellor." 

"You  are  singularly  willful  about  the  Chancellor," 
she  said,  wondering.  "What  have  you  against  his 
Excellency?" 

"Your  Highness,  I  have  detected  him  in  hostility  to 
me  ever  since  I  entered  the  grand-duchy."  The  Prin- 
cess did  not  reply;  she  remembered  Cavari's  attempts 
to  have  the  Englishman  deported,  and  other  things. 
"I  have  been  tracked  all  along  by  his  spies.  In  the 
Odenstock  I  was  set  upon  by  his  bravoes,  and  left  for 
dead,"  continued  Temple. 

Alise  uttered  an  exclamation  of  disbelief.  "You 
were  assaulted!" 

"I  was  attacked  by  secret  assassins  who  robbed  me 
of  a  letter.  Evidence  points  to  their  employment  by 
Count  Cavari." 

"It  is  impossible!"  she  exclaimed.  "Why  should 
the  Count  do  this  horrible  thing  ?  We  are  not  assassins. 
Why  should  he  want  your  letter?" 


274  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"I  have  never  known.  Perhaps  that  was  a  mere 
chance,"  replied  Temple.  "  Yet  I  have  plenty  of  ground 
for  looking  upon  Count  Cavari  as  my  deadly  enemy." 

To  Alise  there  was  something  final  in  this  deliberate 
and  unemotional  pronouncement  of  the  strong  and 
quiet  man  before  her.  She  felt  that  her  impulsiveness 
and  her  protestations  beat  themselves  in  vain  against 
that  cold  and  settled  conviction.  There  he  stood,  con- 
demned to  a  horrid  death  within  a  few  hours,  and  yet 
refusing  to  take  advantage  of  the  chance  she  offered 
him.  It  was  fatalism.  No;  it  was  conviction.  He 
could  never  hope  to  escape  that  way.  Was  it  so  ?  She 
wondered  and  she  feared.  She  was  finding  strange 
and  awful  things  in  the  exercise  of  sovereignty.  She 
was  afraid.  She  could  not  save  him  against  his  will. 
Her  blood  ran  fiercely,  as  often  in  that  passionate  wo- 
man's body. 

"You  will  swear  you  are  innocent  of  this  charge?" 
she  broke  out. 

"Your  Highness,  I  have  sworn.    I  swear  to  you." 

She  took  two  steps  towards  him.  "Come,  I  will 
put  you  to  a  test  that  none  can  deny.  I  will  try  you  by 
an  ordeal.  They  say  you  are  guilty  of  a  terrible  con- 
spiracy to  rob  the  Grand  Duke  of  his  heritage.  Come, 
you  shall  prove  them  false." 

Under  the  fierce  sway  of  her  idea  she  swept  towards 
the  door  of  the  cell,  beckoning  Philip.  He  advanced, 
bewildered,  to  see  her  open  the  door  and  go  forth,  still 
beckoning  him.  Outside  Captain  du  Vallon  and  two 
sentries  stared  amazed  to  watch  their  prisoner  go  by. 
They  fell  back,  silenced  by  an  imperious  sentence  which 
in  his  confusion  he  could  not  distinguish.  Princess  and 
prisoner  they  moved  along  the  vaulted  passage  and  up 


DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE  275 

a  staircase  and  out  of  the  basement  of  the  Castle  to 
the  brighter  lights  of  the  superior  floors.  It  was  late 
now,  long  past  midnight,  and  only  a  few  guards  were 
encountered  at  appointed  places.  These  made  no 
attempt  to  interfere  with  the  progress  of  the  two.  The 
Princess  led  the  way  to  a  suite  of  rooms  which  faced 
east  and  were  situated  near  her  own  apartments.  She 
tapped  on  one  of  the  doors  here,  and  it  was  opened.  A 
dim  light  emerged  from  within. 

"  It  is  I,  the  Regent,"  she  said  firmly,  and  entered. 

Temple  followed  her,  abashed  and  awed.  The 
young  woman  who  held  open  the  door  was  dressed  in 
the  garments  of  a  nurse;  the  room  was  fitted  as  a  day 
nursery;  and  beyond,  in  still  dimmer  light,  was  a  room 
in  which  was  a  couch,  a  gilded  bedstead  of  great  size, 
and  upon  a  raised  dais  an  ornate  and  golden  cradle. 
Temple  understood.  This  was  the  nursery,  and  in  the 
heavy  cradle  was  sleeping  his  Highness  the  infant 
Grand  Duke  of  Eisenburg.  He  realized  this  with  the 
balanced  man's  lack  of  understanding  of  a  woman's 
heart.  He  saw  her,  swift  in  her  movements,  imperative, 
and  noiseless.  She  spoke  to  the  nurse,  and  the  girl 
retreated  into  a  further  chamber,  closing  the  door. 

You  have  seen  the  great  waves  beating  still  even 
while  the  sea  is  returning  to  a  calm.  The  high  tide 
of  feeling  had  passed  in  Alise's  heart,  and  her  emotions 
were  now  on  the  ebb,  but  they  drew  strongly  still.  She 
put  a  hand  on  Temple's  arm. 

"You  have  sworn.  You  shall  repeat  it  here."  He 
could  hear  the  dying  beat  of  her  agitation. 

"I  have  never  worked  or  wished  for  any  ill  to  this 
child,"  he  said  gently,  stooping  over  the  cradle. 

The  tide  receded  swiftly ;  she  dropped  her  eager  arm. 


276  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"I  know  it,"  she  said.  "I  knew  it  always.  I  have 
always  had  faith  in  your  innocence,  no  matter  how 
black  the  case  against  you."  She  looked  about  her 
vaguely.  "  I  need  not  have  brought  you  here.  I  could 
have  trusted  you,  Sir  Philip.  But  they  said  you  were 
caught  at  Kroon  —  the  paper  was  so  precise." 

"I  was  taken  near  Kroon,"  he  said  softly.  "But 
I  was  on  my  way  to  warn  the  Castle  of  the  plot  against 
the  Grand  Duke  which  I  learned  from  you  at  Sturm. 
I  let  Prince  Albrecht  know  my  intentions." 

"  You  came  to  warn  them  !  Heaven  help  us !  How 
horrible  we  must  appear  to  you!"  She  leaned  on  a 
chair,  breathing  deeply  in  her  distress. 

Suddenly  a  change  in  the  light  of  the  room  attracted 
her  attention,  and  she  drew  herself  erect. 

"The  dawn!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  remember  why 
I  brought  you  here,  why  I  wanted  you  to  come.  You 
must  go.  You  say  the  Chancellor  will  not  suffer  you 
to  escape" — she  stamped  her  foot  —  "I  will  suffer 
you  to  escape.  It  is  I  who  do  it.  If  you  will  not  believe 
me  as  Regent,  you  shall  believe  me  as  woman.  If  the 
Regent  cannot  save  you,  I,  Alise,  shall.  Go,  Sir  Philip. 
There  is  the  dawn.  Quick !  At  six  o'clock  — 

She  broke  off  and  listened.  They  were  in  the  inner 
room,  and  the  door  from  an  outer  room  opened,  and 
the  young  nurse  appeared. 

"Your  Highness,  there  is  a  knocking  on  the  door," 
she  said,  looking  at  them  both  in  a  frightened  way. 
She  could  not  understand  what  the  great  Princess  did 
here  with  a  stranger,  and  in  such  emotion. 

Alise  cried  out  in  a  low  voice,  "A  knocking,  Car- 
lotta !"  She  looked  at  Philip  with  white  face.  "I  will 
go  and  see,"  she  said.  "Stay  here,  while  I  see.  It  is 
one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting." 


DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE  277 

She  went  out,  closing  the  door  behind  her,  leaving 
Philip  and  the  girl  alone  with  the  sleeping  child.  The 
voices  had  reached  the  infant,  and  he  stirred  in  his  golden 
cradle,  moving  impotent  plump  hands ;  a  tiny  wail 
emerged.  The  nurse,  Carlotta,  bent  over  him,  hushing 
and  soothing.  Something  was  in  need  of  adjustment 
in  the  clothing,  and  the  girl  turned  up  a  lamp,  so  that 
the  light  fell  brightly  on  the  cradle.  Standing  where 
he  was  Philip  could  see  the  infant  Grand  Duke,  the 
unconscious  source  and  center  of  so  much  human 
agitation  and  intrigue  and  trouble.  It  seemed  gro- 
tesque, it  seemed  to  savor  of  the  farcical,  that  this  un- 
differentiated  atom  of  humanity  should  be  the  origin 
of  such  internecine  tumults  and  conflicts.  His  gaze 
left  the  face  and  wandered;  and  suddenly  he  stooped 
and  put  a  hand  towards  the  child's  neck,  upon  which 
the  red  light  gleamed.  He  touched  a  brooch  that  bound 
together  the  folds  of  a  robe,  for  to  his  astonishment  it 
was  engraved  with  the  cognizance  of  a  boar. 

It  was  indeed  amazing  that  the  boar  should  decorate 
the  person  of  a  sovereign  whose  traditional  and  bitter 
enemy  was  himself  represented  by  that  very  insignia. 
By  what  strange  and  ironic  blunder  had  this  happened  ? 
Then  all  at  once  a  memory  returned  to  him  in  a  flash. 
It  was  a  boar  rampant  passant  in  the  language  of  heral- 
dry. That  was  the  crest  of  the  Valences,  Dukes  of 
Collingham  !  He  recalled  his  talk  with  the  aged  Duke 
some  weeks  back.  The  boar  rampant  passant ! 

He  turned  to  the  nurse,  who  had  effected  her  alter- 
ations and  had  hushed  the  child  to  slumber  again. 

"Where  did  that  come  from?"  he  asked  in  a  low 
voice,  so  as  not  to  disturb  the  babe  again. 

She  stared,   trembled,   and   drew  back,   as   though 


278  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

she  had  been  struck.  She  stared  at  him  as  one  waiting 
for  the  next  blow. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked,  still  low- voiced,  and  the  low- 
ness  of  his  voice  carried  the  panic  still  deeper  into  her 
heart. 

"I  —  I  never  took  it,"  she  declared,  whimpering. 
"By  the  love  of  God  I  never  intended  to  take  it.  He 
wears  it  by  night.  I  only  keep  it  for  him  in  the  day." 

There  was  some  mystery  in  this.  Temple  had  an 
odd  sensation,  as  of  something  bubbling  up  from  his 
heart  and  thrilling  through  his  whole  body.  He  was 
as  yet  incapable  of  consecutive  and  plain  thinking. 

"Where  did  you  get  it?"  he  asked  next. 

"I  found  it."  She  got  voice  at  least  for  that.  "I 
found  it  under  the  bed  of  the  Grand  Duchess  when 
she  died." 

"Under  the  bed  of  the  Grand  Duchess  when  she 
died!"  He  repeated  the  words  under  his  breath. 
What  did  they  mean?  What  did  it  all  mean?  This 
was  the  badge  of  the  Valences,  Dukes  of  Collingham ! 
And  found  under  the  bed  of  the  Grand  Duchess  when 
she  died ! 

"Were  you  present  when  her  Highness  died?"  he 
asked,  cross-questioning  still  in  the  low,  quiet  voice. 

"No;  they  brought  me  in  when  she  was  dead," 
the  girl  said  tremulously.  "They  brought  me  in  to 
take  the  baby,  his  Highness.  I  found  the  brooch,  and 
I  kept  it  for  him.  No  one  saw  it.  I  did  wrong  not  to 
tell  them,  I  know." 

Philip  turned  from  her  to  the  sleeping  child.  Strange 
things  were  hatching  in  his  mind,  at  first  mistily,  and 
then  with  growing  clearness.  He  opened  his  lips 
to  speak,  and  then  was  aware  of  a  tall  black  woman 


DAWN  IN  THE  CASTLE  279 

of  middle  age  standing  towards  an  inner  doorway. 
She  was  silent,  but  she  stared,  and  it  seemed  to  him 
that  some  horror  was  in  her  face.  From  the  costume 
she  wore  he  took  her  for  the  head  nurse.  A  door  closed 
behind  him,  and,  turning,  he  saw  the  Princess  moving 
swiftly  and  noiselessly  to  him.  Her  eyes  were  wild 
with  feeling.  She  waved  the  nurses  aside  into  the  other 
room. 

"You  must  go  at  once,"  she  said.  "The  Chancellor 
is  at  the  door,  demanding  admittance.  He  has  heard 
from  the  guard  what  has  happened.  He  demands  in 
the  name  of  the  safety  of  the  grand-duchy  to  be  ad- 
mitted. You  are  right.  He  wants  your  life !  I  —  I 
have  done  all  I  can.  Am  I  not  Regent?  But  I  am  a 
woman.  He  is  a  man.  I  am  afraid  of  him.  I  am 
afraid  of  the  Chancellor.  Sir  Philip,  I  did  not  know 
he  could  be  like  this  —  I  did  not  know  life  could  be 
like  this  —  and  to  be  in  power " 

Breathless  she  was  pushing  him  away,  back  from 
the  cradle,  back  towards  another  room. 

"Your  Highness "  he  began,  but  she  would 

not  hear. 

"If  he  enters  you  will  be  lost.  I  see  it  plainly,"  she 
cried.  "I  am  Regent,  but  I  have  no  power.  Oh,  and 
I  thought  I  knew !  They  pretend  to  leave  us  power 
so  long  as  things  go  smoothly.  In  war  —  the  pretense 
ends.  Go  now.  Through  that  room  a  passage-way 
leads  to  a  window,  and  there  is  an  outside  flight  of  steps 
thence  to  the  garden  in  case  of  fire.  It  will  take  you 
safely  out  of  the  Castle.  You  must  escape  from  the 
garden.  Do  you  not  hear?"  she  broke  off.  "He  has 
sent  for  guards,  and  they  will  force  an  entrance.  He 
says  the  life  of  the  Grand  Duke  is  at  stake." 


280  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

She  hurried  him  to  the  door  into  the  passage,  her 
eyes  gushing  with  her  fear,  and  he  was  conscious  of 
the  touch  of  her  warm  hands,  of  her  breath  on  his 
cheek.  He  was  seized  with  an  immense  and  terrible 
longing.  His  heart  was  a  huge  and  troubled  void, 
craving  that  he  should  crush  her  to  it  to  fill  the  chasm. 
He  held  her  hand  and  kissed  it. 

"I  will  go,"  he  said.  "I  will  go  and  live.  You  have 
given  me  life  where  no  one  else  could.  And  if  I  seem 
in  return  to  have  to  strike  at  you,  pardon  me  and  believe 
in  me,  Princess." 

"I  do  not  care.  Do  what  you  will.  Oh,  I  do  not 
want  this  bloodshed.  I  am  not  fitted  for  it.  Do  what 
you  will.  I  believe  in  you  always.  I  believe  in  you. 
Go!"  She  withdrew  her  hand  and  shut  the  door  on 
him  fast;  and  then  she  went  back  to  the  nursery,  where 
the  awakened  child  was  wailing  anew,  and  the  terrified 
under-nurse  was  struggling  to  soothe  him. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

SIR   PHILIP   SOLVES   HIS   RIDDLE 

ALISE  of  Astra  stepped  to  the  door  and  listened. 
Outside  were  voices,  low,  disturbed,  and  mingling 
confusedly.  She  turned  the  key  and  swung  back  the 
door;  and  the  group  receded  in  dismay  and  shame, 
all  but  the  tall,  spare  old  man  in  the  foreground. 

"Your  Highness,  I  greatly  regret  this,  but  it  was 
a  necessity  in  the  highest  interests  of  State." 

His  voice  was  not  apologetic,  though  his  words  were ; 
there  was  something  authoritative  in  its  tone.  The 
Princess  felt,  as  her  troubled  eyes  took  in  the  group, 
that  she  was  face  to  face  now  with  the  Dictator. 

"Other  outrages  in  history  have  been  accomplished 
in  that  name  and  on  that  plea,"  she  said  haughtily. 
"What  is  your  wish?" 

"Madam,  there  is  one  here  dangerous  to  the  peace 
of  the  grand-duchy,  a  reckless  and  abandoned  intriguer, 
whose  existence  is  a  menace  to  the  safety  of  the  Grand 
Duke,  his  Highness." 

"There  is  none  such  here.  Enter,"  she  said,  with  a 
wave  of  her  hand. 

The  Chancellor  bowed,  turned  and  murmured  an 
instruction  to  one  of  the  officers  of  the  guard  at  his 
back;  and  then  he  crossed  the  threshold.  He  looked 
about  the  low-lit  room,  and  passed  on  rapidly  to  the 
central  chamber,  dedicated  as  the  nursery  of  the  Grand 
Duke. 


282  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"By  your  gracious  permission,  your  Highness,"  he 
said  curtly. 

Alise  watched  him  without  moving.  The  guards  had 
slipped  away  in  obedience  to  orders,  and  his  Excellency 
was  alone.  How  she  hated  him  —  that  cold,  implacable 
old  man,  who  used  her  like  a  schoolgirl  with  the  forms 
of  courtesy  and  the  hand  of  iron.  She  saw  now  she  had 
never  had  anything  save  the  semblance  of  power.  But 
she  had  worsted  him  now;  she  had  foiled  his  intrigues, 
his  schemes,  his  unscrupulous  plans,  and  she  rejoiced. 
The  under-nurse  was  bending  over  the  cradle  at  her 
task  of  soothing;  and  a  gaunt  figure  stood  a  little  way 
off,  showing  a  haggard  face  mutely  to  his  Excellency. 

He  knew  well  that  no  one  else  was  in  the  room,  and 
had  known  it  from  the  moment  the  Princess  had  opened 
the  door.  That  was  why  he  had  dispatched  the  guards 
to  the  gardens.  The  action  was  transferred  to  another 
scene.  He  walked  through  the  rooms  and  opening  the 
door  into  the  passage,  looked  out.  The  line  of  the 
Englishman's  escape  was  obvious.  He  turned  to  the 
still  figure  of  the  woman  who  had  said  nothing,  but 
still  leaned  heavily  against  a  table.  Nothing  passed 
between  them.  The  Chancellor  had  said  no  word 
since  he  entered.  He  went  out  again,  passing  the 
Princess  with  a  deep  bow. 

"I  fear  your  Highness  has  been  unduly  tried  to-day 
by  many  things,"  he  said  suavely. 

"By  this  monstrous  intrusion  most  of  all,"  cried 
Alise. 

He  bowed  again.  "I  deeply  regret  it,"  he  said,  and 
went  out. 

She  was  worth  no  more  now  than  mere  words  of 
form  and  ceremony.  She  had  become  a  mere  formula, 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      283 

a  convention.  Authority  had  gone  from  her.  But 
she  had  beaten  the  Chancellor !  She  thrilled  at  the 
thought. 

Philip  Temple  reached  the  garden  in  the  dim,  gray 
light  of  dawn,  and  struck  across  the  lawn  into  a  patch 
of  laurel  bushes.  He  hid  there  listening  to  the  noise 
that  of  a  sudden  broke  out  on  the  air.  Voices  came 
from  various  directions,  and  feet  sounded  near  and 
distantly.  He  had  escaped  only  just  in  time.  He 
grew  anxious  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  ambuscade, 
for  with  every  minute  the  light  grew,  and  with  it  the 
chance  of  observation  should  he  venture  to  break  cover. 
He  could  make  out  the  figures  of  men  now  as  they  occa- 
sionally crossed  his  line  of  sight,  running  to  the  call  of 
a  comrade  on  the  alarm,  or  hastening  on  some  clue 
of  their  own.  He  lay  close  in  his  form  in  the  laurels, 
and  waited,  trusting  to  find  his  opportunity  presently. 

When  it  seemed  that  the  gray  moving  figures  had 
evacuated  that  part  of  the  garden  he  ventured  forth, 
stealing  swiftly  towards  the  more  embowered  shrub- 
beries, and  so  from  one  cover  to  another  till  he  reached 
a  wilderness  of  undergrowth.  The  Chancellor  had 
taken  every  precaution.  On  discovering  that  the  pris- 
oner had  made  his  escape  he  had  reinforced  the  sentries 
placed  in  various  parts  of  the  park  and  garden,  and 
he  had  also  dispatched  special  search  parties  to  scour 
the  grounds.  Philip,  not  knowing  his  way  about  the 
park,  was  at  a  disadvantage,  for  he  had  only  a  vague 
notion  in  what  direction  to  move.  He  knew  that  on 
the  north  the  park  was  fenced  by  a  high  wall,  which 
also  ran  round  the  inner  garden,  and  constituted  the 
remains  of  an  original  investment  of  ramparts.  The 
park,  which  was  less  rigidly  enclosed,  and  in  places 


284  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

merely  fenced,  lay  below  this.  Here  it  was  that  Philip 
had  trespassed  on  the  occasion  of  his  arrest  in  the 
character  of  Ketschinski;  and  towards  this  he  was 
anxious  to  descend,  as  offering  him  the  most  likely 
chance  of  escape.  His  trouble  was  that  he  did  not  know 
what  gave  access  to  the  park.  He  had  heard  of  the 
transmogrified  ramparts,  and  was  wondering  if  there 
were  any  considerable  breach  or  breaches  in  it.  It 
would  be  very  easy  to  set  a  guard  before  these  and  so 
close  him  in.  Yet  it  was  worth  reconnoitering  in  case 
the  approaches  below  should  prove  practicable  for  one 
reason  or  another. 

He  scouted  among  the  shrubs  of  the  wilderness, 
drawing  farther  downward  with  each  step,  and  at  last 
came  to  a  pause,  for  across  a  stretch  of  lawn  he  could 
see  the  wall,  and  as  far  as  his  eye  could  carry  in  the  dim 
light  wall  and  wall  again.  There  was  no  hope  that  way. 

He  turned  back,  struck  as  silently  as  might  be  through 
the  undergrowth  northward,  and  presently  found  him- 
self in  a  large  fruit  garden.  The  wall  here  had  been  put 
to  the  practical  uses  of  horticulture.  Old  established 
peach-trees  swarmed  up  its  faded  red  bricks;  plum- 
trees  and  pear-trees  also  reached  towards  heaven.  High 
above  the  glass  houses  the  wall  sailed,  to  a  height  of 
thirty  feet,  and  a  huge  wistaria  laden  with  its  lilac  trusses 
scrambled  along  the  outer  face  of  a  fruit-house.  He 
made  his  approach  at  this  point  with  the  greatest  caution, 
moving  from  shadow  into  shadow,  by  gooseberry  and 
currant  bushes,  and  under  the  shelter  of  out-door  vines, 
until  he  had  come  to  the  greenhouses.  On  each  side 
of  these  the  wall  descended  to  its  normal  level,  which 
was  some  fifteen  feet.  Philip  felt  his  way  past  vinery  and 
pinetum  and  stove-house  until  he  had  got  beyond  the 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      285 

buildings  themselves  and  to  the  neighborhood  of  some 
potting-sheds.  At  these  he  threw  a  glance,  and  his 
heart  leaped  afresh.  He  could  climb  from  them  to  the 
top  of  the  wall,  and  so  jump  to  the  ground  without  the 
Castle  precincts. 

He  lost  no  time  in  scaling  one  of  the  sheds,  and  then 
reached  the  wall  above  it.  It  was  immensely  broad, 
and  had  clearly  served  in  former  times  to  defend  the 
Castle  from  the  enemies  of  the  Wolfgangs.  Perhaps 
even  now  it  would  be  called  upon  to  do  so  again.  With 
one  glance  behind  him  to  see  that  he  had  not  been 
detected,  he  scrambled  over  the  wall  and  leaped  down  — 
into  the  arms  of  a  sentry ! 

It  was  no  time  to  reflect  that  this  was  probably  an 
honest  Eisenburger  bent  on  defending  his  country. 
It  was  a  question  of  life  for  Philip.  The  man  had  evi- 
dently been  crouching  under  the  wall,  waiting,  no 
doubt,  from  the  time  he  had  seen  the  escaped  prisoner's 
head  appear  above.  He  clutched  Temple  in  a  fierce, 
determined  grip,  making,  however,  no  attempt  to  use 
his  weapons.  The  surprise,  coming  upon  him  with 
such  a  shock,  galvanized  Temple  into  an  almost  incred- 
ible strength.  It  was  as  if  the  man's  hands  had  been 
snapped  asunder.  They  parted,  leaving  him  thrust 
back,  and  gaping  with  his  exertions.  Then  he  recovered, 
and  plucking  out  his  bayonet,  thrust  forward  with  it 
ferociously,  missed  and  stumbled.  The  next  moment 
he  went  down  inanimate  under  the  butt  of  his  own 
rifle,  which  he  had  dropped  and  Philip  had  picked  up. 
The  latter  paused  momentarily  to  wonder  if  he  should 
carry  the  weapon  with  him  in  his  flight,  but  decided 
quickly  to  abandon  it.  It  would  encumber  more  than 
it  would  avail  him  in  what  lay  before  him. 


286  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

His  design,  now  that  he  was  without  the  Castle  walls, 
was  to  make  for  the  border  and  cross  into  German 
territory.  He  calculated  that  northward  it  was  scarcely 
more  than  fifteen  miles  to  Constantia,  which  would 
suit  him  very  well  as  a  convenient  center  for  such  oper- 
ations as  he  felt  were  still  incumbent  on  him.  He  left 
the  wall,  and  with  an  easy  loping  run  crossed  the  road 
and  struck  northwards  by  the  fields.  The  light  had 
spread  up  the  eastern  sky,  lay  in  a  dull  pool  down  the 
valley,  and  softened  the  dark  crags  and  forests  of  the 
Odenstock.  When  he  had  gone  a  mile  he  dropped 
into  a  walk,  thinking  that  he  had  put  enough  distance 
between  him  and  Waldthal,  and  being  unwilling  to 
attract  the  attention  of  such  of  the  country  folk  as  might 
be  about.  Next  he  drew  near  to  a  village  of  some  size, 
and  skirted  it  to  the  east,  being  afraid  lest  the  Chan- 
cellor might  have  communicated  with  the  authorities 
and  given  them  the  alarm.  His  detour  took  him  wide 
of  some  hills  into  a  farmland  district  where  life  was 
already  astir.  He  climbed  an  ascent,  and  halted  on 
the  top  to  stare  over  the  country  which  he  had  traversed. 
Dawn  was  now  full,  and  the  fiery  aura  of  the  sun  was 
striking  splendor  in  the  eastern  plains  beyond  the  Effel. 
It  lit  up  the  fields  of  the  intervening  valleys,  and  glit- 
tered in  a  thousand  petty  lights  from  a  distant  hill. 
He  considered  these  and  drew  his  deductions.  It  was 
an  army  marching  towards  Waldthal.  Was  it  a  hostile 
force  ?  Or  was  it  the  army  of  the  grand-duchy  moving 
from  Eisenburg?  He  knew  nothing  of  the  disposition 
of  the  forces,  or  of  what  had  happened  since  his  arrest. 
To  him  either  party  signified  danger;  and  so  he  struck 
northwards  again,  holding  to  the  fields  as  much  as  pos- 
sible and  avoiding  human  intercourse.  Above  the 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      287 

village  of  Favrette  he  shied  at  a  farm  building,  though 
by  this  time  he  was  feeling  exhausted,  and  would  have 
been  glad  of  some  refreshment  and  rest.  To  avoid  it 
he  crossed  a  brook,  passed  through  a  hedge,  and  entered 
a  little  wood.  The  moment  after  his  entry  he  was  in 
the  hands  of  two  soldiers.  He  would  have  struggled, 
but  saw  the  hopelessness  of  doing  so,  for  out  of  the  under- 
growth at  the  shout  of  his  captors  appeared  a  dozen 
more.  They  spoke  in  German,  and  the  tired  man  learned 
wearily  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Albrecht's 
skirmishers. 

As  he  was  obviously  no  farmer  they  at  once  as- 
sumed him  to  be  a  spy  from  Waldthal,  and  he  was 
bundled  to  the  rear  to  be  interviewed  by  the  Captain, 
a  swaggering,  swashbuckling  fellow  with  a  toasted 
nose. 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  "  he  demanded  shortly. 

"Waldthal   Castle,"  declared  Philip  truthfully. 

"  Ha  !    Who  are  you  and  what  is  your  business  ? " 

"My  name  is  Temple.  I  am  English,  and  I  am  at 
present  only  anxious  to  escape  to  Constantia." 

The  Captain  eyed  him  narrowly  and  suspiciously. 
"That  is  a  likely  tale,"  he  sneered.  "Why  do  you 
want  to  escape?" 

"Because,"  said  Temple,  "I  have  no  desire  to  be 
mixed  up  in  a  quarrel  with  which  I  have  nothing  to  do." 

This  answer  baffled  the  man  for  a  moment,  and  then 
he  renewed  his  attack. 

"How  come  you  to  be  in  this  state?"  He  indicated 
the  absence  of  hat,  and  the  general  disorder  of  Philip's 
clothes. 

"I  have  succeeded  in  making  my  escape,  Captain," 
replied  Temple.  "  I  was  in  prison." 


288  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"Well,  you  shall  be  in  prison  again,"  he  retorted 
grimly,  and  shouted  an  order  to  his  men. 

In  the  issue  Philip  found  himself  being  conducted 
to  the  rear,  and  marched  over  two  miles  of  country 
littered  with  the  tracks  of  the  Suabian  to  Albrecht's 
base,  at  Maagen.  Colonel  Doletsch  had  taken  possession 
of  the  village  inn,  and  turned  it  into  his  headquarters; 
and  before  him  the  captive  was  taken. 

"  Gives  the  name  of  Temple,  claims  to  be  English, 
and  to  have  escaped  from  Waldthal."  The  Colonel, 
hard-bitten  and  abrupt,  looked  up  from  the  notes. 
He  tried  to  recall  something,  frowning;  and  then  he 
grinned. 

Spy !  No,  but  a  capture  more  valuable  than  that 
of  many  blundering  spies.  He  dispatched  a  messenger 
with  a  scribbled  note,  and  went  on  with  his  work  with- 
out paying  any  further  attention  to  the  prisoner  until 
the  door  opened  to  admit  —  not  one  of  his  many  order- 
lies and  aides,  but  Baron  Favrinck. 

"  Ah,  Baron,  I  sent  for  you  as  I  have  a  friend  of  yours 
here,  I  believe." 

Favrinck's  moody  eyes  lighted.  "  Sir  Philip  Temple ! " 
he  exclaimed.  "  Well  met,  Sir  Philip,  and  at  an  inter- 
esting juncture.  But  I  'm  afraid  if  you  are  in  hopes  of 
carrying  away  news  this  time  you  will  be  disappointed." 

"I  have  no  wish  to  carry  news,"  said  Philip.  "My 
only  wish  is  to  make  Constantia." 

The  Baron  made  an  appearance  of  reflection.  "  Con- 
stantia !  I  don't  think  you  are  likely  to  get  so  far  — • 
at  least  not  if  I  am  consulted,  and  I  generally  am  in 
these  affairs."  He  brayed  with  laughter,  and  almost 
Philip  thought  he  could  see  the  fangs  of  the  Boar. 
"Colonel,  when  do  we  move?"  he  asked  abruptly. 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      289 

The  other  murmured  something  which  was  inaudible 
to  Temple.  "Oh,  well,"  went  on  Favrinck,  "we  have 
a  little  time  still  in  which  to  amuse  ourselves.  This 
is  what  romancers  call  poetic  justice,  I  believe."  He 
smiled  on  the  Colonel  and  on  Temple  also,  mightily 
pleased.  "But  we  must  have  Von  Hauser.  I  shall 
always  have  this  against  Von  Hauser.  The  comedy 
will  not  be  complete  without  him." 

He  called  an  orderly  and  sent  him  off  with  a  verbal 
message. 

"  Baron  Favrinck's  compliments  to  Count  von  Hauser, 
and  he  specially  requests  his  presence  on  an  affair  of 
immediate  importance." 

This  message,  reaching  the  Count  while  in  consul- 
tation with  Prince  Albrecht,  brought  both  forthwith 
to  the  scene.  Von  Hauser's  face  tightened  slightly  as 
his  eyes  fell  on  Temple;  Albrecht  smiled  and  nodded. 
The  Baron  beamed. 

"Now,  Von  Hauser,  I  have  you  on  the  hip,  infidel," 
he  exclaimed.  "Your  Highness,  here  we  have  the 
truant." 

"So  I  perceive,"  said  Albrecht  pleasantly.  "Pray, 
Sir  Philip,  how  did  you  fare?" 

Philip  made  a  whimsical  face.  "As  your  Highness 
sees,"  he  replied,  "but  badly.  Count  Cavari  seemed 
to  think  of  me  as  ill  as  does  Baron  Favrinck.  In  fact, 
the  prisoner  has  no  friends." 

Von  Hauser  was  eyeing  him  without  expression,  but 
carefully. 

"  I  always  told  you,"  said  the  Baron  to  him  trium- 
phantly, "that  this  young  gentleman  was  playing  a 
deeper  game  than  you  thought.  And  by  Heaven  he 
took  me  in,  thanks  to  you  !"  he  roared  angrily. 


290  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Von  Hauser  paid  no  heed. 

"If  I  might  have  a  chair,"  said  Philip  quietly,  "I 
should  be  greatly  obliged.  The  fact  is,  I  have  been  on 
the  run  for  some  hours  and  had  a  trying  time  before 
that." 

"  Where  do  you  come  from,  Sir  Philip  ? "  inquired 
Albrecht,  motioning  for  a  chair. 

"  I  broke  out  of  the  Castle  of  Waldthal  as  near  as 
I  can  make  out  about  three  this  morning,"  said  Philip 
slowly. 

"  They  do  not  seem  to  welcome  their  allies  in  Wald- 
thal," said  Albrecht  pleasantly.  "No  wonder  Cavari 
loses  adherents,  if  he  treats  all  like  this." 

"Anyway,  it's  out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire," 
said  the  Baron  grimly. 

"Pardon  me,  Baron,  I  thought  it  was  understood," 
Albrecht  spoke  civilly,  but  with  strange  firmness  and 
authority.  "I  gave  Sir  Philip  permission  to  depart, 
knowing  his  intention." 

The  Boar  glowered.  "If  your  Highness  takes 
this  tone " 

"  I  do,"  said  the  Suabian  shortly. 

The  Boar  growled. 

"It  may  perhaps  relieve  Baron  Favrinck's  mind 
and  ease  his  conscience,"  said  the  prisoner  coolly,  "if 
I  say  that  I  arrived  too  late  to  interfere  with  the  kid- 
napping plot  at  Kroon.  News  of  it  had  been  carried 
by  an  escaped  page." 

Von  Hauser  seemed  to  give  a  little  nod. 

"Really!"  said  Albrecht.  "This  is  interesting. 
And  so  they  did  what  my  friend  the  Baron  is  doing 
in  his  turn,  took  you  for  a  spy,  and  threw  you  into 
prison?" 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      291 

"I  was  accused,"  said  Philip,  looking  at  the  Baron, 
"of  being  concerned  in  the  plot  as  agent  for  Baron 
Favrinck." 

The  Prince  burst  out  into  laughter.  "What  divine 
irony!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  a  situation!  and  Fa- 
vrinck here  clamoring  for  your  blood  !" 

The  Colonel,  who  had  listened  to  all  this  with  interest 
and  in  silence  and  possibly  in  wonder,  here  broke  in, 
his  military  side  asserting  itself. 

"If  Sir  Philip  has  come  from  Waldthal,  he  should 
be  able  to  give  us  information  as  to  the  state  of  things 
there." 

"Sir,"  said  the  prisoner,  turning  to  him,  "I  have 
taken  no  part  whatsoever  in  these  internecine  affairs 
of  the  country,  nor  shall  I  take  part  in  them." 

"It  seems  to  me  that  you  have  already  taken  too 
large  a  part  in  them,"  sneered  the  Boar. 

Albrecht  lifted  a  hand  that  suggested  silence.  "  I  'm 
sorry  you  have  come  by  such  bad  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  the  present  authorities  in  Eisenburg,  Sir 
Philip,"  he  said.  "  I  hope  you  will  give  the  next  author- 
ities a  trial  on  chance.  Would  you  be  so  good  as  to  take 
a  letter  from  me  to  Constantia,  —  a  personal  letter, 
not  a  military  dispatch.  We  are  not  going  to  violate 
your  neutrality." 

His  smile,  as  it  always  had  done,  charmed  Philip, 
who  replied : 

"Directly  I  am  free,  sir,  I  will  do  of  my  free  will 
anything  in  the  world  for  you." 

"Sir  Philip,  you  are  free  now,"  said  the  Suabian, 
turning  away  with  his  pleasant  manner. 

The  Baron  stumped  from  the  room;  the  soldier, 
seeing  that  the  affair  was  settled  out  of  his  hands,  re- 


292  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

sumed  his  dispatches  like  a  good  general;  and  Von 
Hauser  and  Temple  were  left  facing  each  other.    The 
latter  spoke  first. 

"Do  you  know,  Count,  I  feel  most  abominably 
hungry.  I  wonder  if  you  have  left  anything  in  the 
larder?" 

"My  dear  Sir  Philip,  I  shall  be  delighted  if  you  will 
break  your  fast  with  me,"  said  Von  Hauser.  "  I  have 
already  ordered  a  meal  which  should  be  ready  by  now. 
Come." 

He  took  Temple's  arm  in  a  friendly  way,  and  led 
him  out  of  the  room  into  a  smaller  private  apartment, 
with  a  table  set  out  for  breakfast.  How  good  the  West- 
phalian  ham  looked !  How  fresh  and  alluring  the 
coffee !  In  a  few  minutes  both  men  were  busily  plying 
knife  and  fork,  while  the  breath  of  the  June  morning 
blew  off  the  dew  about  them  through  the  open  window. 

"It  is  wonderful,  is  it  not?"  said  Von  Hauser,  ob- 
serving his  companion's  nostrils  tremble  as  he  drew  in 
the  fragrance  of  the  morning. 

"It  is  the  hay,"  said  Temple,  smiling.  "It  always 
affects  me  so,  and  I  suppose  there  is  the  additional 
satisfaction  of  feeling  my  head  still  on  my  body." 

"Ah!"    Von  Hauser  mused,  looking  at  him. 

Philip's  eyes,  fleeting  out  of  the  window  once  more, 
rested  on  a  party  of  soldiers  filing  through  a  field. 

"This  means  bloodshed,  Count,"  he  said,  coming 
back  to  his  companion.  The  sobbing  words  of  the 
Princess  came  back  to  him :  "  I  do  not  want  this  blood- 
shed. I  am  not  fitted  for  it." 

"Yes,  my  friend,  it  does,"  said  Von  Hauser  slowly. 

There  was  a  slight  pause  between  them.  Philip 
finished  his  coffee,  and  crossed  his  legs.  "You  were 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      293 

good  enough,  Count,"  he  began  in  his  level,  pleasant 
voice,  "to  be  interested  in  me  and  my  problem." 

"I  was.  I  am,"  returned  the  Count,  smiling.  "I 
may  say  I  am  increasingly  interested  in  both  you  and 
your  problem." 

"  Well  —  Temple  broke  off.  "  I  'm  sure  you 

won't  mind  if  I  beg  for  a  cigar.  I've  not  smoked  for 
nearly  twenty-four  hours.  Thank  you  so  much."  He 
took  one  from  the  Count's  case,  cut  it,  and  lighted  it, 
and  resumed.  "I  shall  not  then  pretend  to  doubt  that 
I  shall  be  able  to  hold  your  interest  for  a  time  by  what 
I  have  to  say." 

The  Count  was  mute ;  he  merely  looked  at  the  speaker. 
Philip  had  had  time  even  in  that  long,  rough  struggle 
for  safety  to  think  over  many  things,  and  to  confirm 
the  first  amazing  flash  of  revelation  which  had  come 
to  him  in  the  nursery  at  the  Castle.  He  was  prepared 
with  the  whole  current  of  the  story  as  he  conceived  it; 
the  facts  had  been  so  long  with  him  as  separate  and 
detached  items,  and  now  they  had  fallen  into  their  place, 
as  it  were  with  a  tap  of  the  fingers.  The  riddle  was 
read ;  the  puzzle  was  solved. 

"Let  me  recall  to  you,  Count,  how  I  entered  the 
grand-duchy  tragically  with  a  dying  woman,  injured 
in  the  railway  accident.  I  accompanied  her  to  the 
nearest  house  of  refuge,  which  happened  to  be  the 
Castle  of  Waldthal.  After  some  preliminary  inquiries 
the  lady  was  admitted  to  be  tended  in  the  name  of 
humanity  by  the  Court  doctors  who  were  then  waiting 
on  her  Highness,  the  late  Grand  Duchess.  I  never 
saw  the  unfortunate  woman  again,  and  she  was  never 
identified.  She  lies  in  St.  Michael's  churchyard  yonder 
among  the  unknown  dead."  He  glanced  through  the 


294  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

open  window  at  the  beautiful  June  landscape.  "Since 
then  I  have  been  the  victim  of  systematic  persecution 
at  the  hands  of  the  Chancellor,  Count  Cavari." 

"Yes,"  Von  Hauser  nodded.  "It  has  been  inex- 
plicable." 

"  But  is  not  now,"  said  Temple.  "  Look  you,  Count. 
The  doctor  who  was  called  in  to  attend  me  at  the  Baron's 
chateau  proved  to  be  a  doctor  who  was  present  at  the 
accident,  and  whom  I  consulted  about  the  woman. 
It  appears  that  when  she  entered  Waldthal  she  was  — 
in  the  same  condition  as  the  Grand  Duchess.  Two 
children  were  born  in  the  Castle  that  night,  and  only 
one  survived." 

Von  Hauser  straightened  himself.  "What  do  you 
hint  at?"  he  exclaimed,  shaken  out  of  his  habitual 
calm.  The  hand  that  held  the  cigar  trembled.  "But, 

my  dear  Sir  Philip,  why "  He  sank  back  in  his 

chair,  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  expressively. 

"I  was  the  only  person  outside  the  immediate  en- 
tourage of  the  Chancellor  who  might  be  supposed  to 
know  of  the  woman's  condition,"  continued  Temple, 
paying  no  heed,  "and  I  was  at  pains  to  attempt  to 
discover  her  identity.  From  that  time  war  was  declared 
against  me.  I  have  been  spied  upon,  I  have  been  mal- 
treated, my  letters  have  been  opened,  and  I  have  been 
assailed  by  bravoes  who  took  from  my  person  —  what  ? 
A  letter  from  a  poor  English  woman  inquiring  into 
the  fate  of  her  daughter,  who  had  been  maid  to  Lady 
Stroud,  the  wife  of  Lord  Stroud,  son  of  the  Duke  of 
Collingham,  who  with  her  husband  was  killed  in  the 
railway  accident.  But  the  lady  who  died  in  the  Castle 
and  is  buried  among  the  unknown  dead,  was  not  Lady 
Stroud's  maid.  Lady  Stroud's  body  was  never  iden- 


SIR  PHILIP  SOLVES  HIS  RIDDLE      295 

tified,  owing,  it  was  said,  to  the  ravage  of  the  burning 
carriage.  Lady  Stroud's  maid  disappeared  from  that 
moment." 

"But,  good  God!"  cried  Von  Hauser,  who  had  a 
quick  brain.  "This  is  impossible!"  and  he  rose. 

"  I  had  access  last  night  to  the  nursery  at  the  Castle," 
went  on  Temple  in  his  unemotional  way,  "and  upon 
the  clothing  of  the  child  I  recognized  a  brooch  with 
the  crest  of  the  Valences  of  Collingham,  a  boar  rampant 
passant.  That  brooch  was  picked  up,  she  told  me, 
by  the  under-nurse  near  the  bed  of  the  Grand  Duchess 
when  she  lay  dead.  She  secreted  it,  probably  with 
some  idea  of  keeping  it  for  herself,  and  then,  her  con- 
science pricking  her,  she  has  been  accustomed  to  use 
it  at  night  for  the  child.  That  brooch  belonged  to  the 
child's  mother,  by  whose  bed,  not  the  Grand  Duchess's, 
it  was  picked  up ;  and  the  child  is " 

"A  Valence,  not  a  Wolfgang."  The  Count's  eyes 
were  flashing  and  melting  in  an  astonishing  way.  "  What 
a  consummate  plot !  What  a  master  mind  !  My  dear 
sir,  never  in  my  life  have  I  underestimated  Cavari. 
Now  I  do  homage  to  him ;  I  doff  my  hat  to  him.  There 
was  only  the  remotest  chance  of  discovery,  and  he 
realized  where  it  lay  —  in  you.  Yet  I  verily  believe 
that  had  he  not  so  greatly  feared  you,  you  would  not 
have  discovered  his  secret.  He  has  driven  you  to  it. 
He  has  undone  himself.  It  is  marvelous!" 

"I  think  it  is  a  very  ironic  situation,"  agreed 
Temple. 

"  But  —  but,  my  friend "  the  Count  was  sobered 

now,  his  old  diplomatic,  cautious  self  again.  "It  is 
an  ingenious  theory,  as  ingenious  as  the  plot.  But 
what  proof  have  you  ?  " 


296  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"None,"  said  Temple,  smiling  back  at  him. 

Von  Hauser  was  silent.  "As  it  stands,  however, 
it  will  be  almost  as  useful  to  us,"  he  murmured. 

"My  dear  Count,  if  I  had  not  the  most  convincing 
belief  in  it  I  would  not  have  said  one  word,"  said 
Philip  earnestly. 

"I  am  glad  you  had  the  convincing  belief,"  said 
the  Count  dryly.  "  It  does  n't  matter  what  belief  we 
have." 

"No,  I  don't  care  what  your  party  has,"  said  Tem- 
ple reflectively.  "But  there  are  one  or  two  perhaps  I 
should  like  to  convince — yourself  perhaps." 

"You  can  already  count  me  an  adherent,  an  en- 
thusiast," said  Von  Hauser  genially.  "  Have  you  taken 
any  one  else  into  your  confidence?"  he  added  abruptly. 

"  No."  Philip  paused.  "  But  there  is  another  whom 
I  should  like  to  convince 

"  You  shall  convince  him " 

"It  is  her,"  corrected  Temple. 

"Ah!"    Von  Hauser's  ejaculation  was  expressive. 

"You  have  not  told  me  how  you  escaped,"  he  said 
next. 

Temple  met  his  glance.  "I  escaped  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  Princess,"  he  said.  "I  owe 
her  my  life." 

"Ah!"  said  Von  Hauser  again,  and  then  quietly, 
"You  will  convince  her?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  At  any  rate  I  will  write.  I  have 
a  plan.  I  think  I  will  write,"  said  Philip  softly. 

"Yes,  my  friend,  you  shall  write/'  said  Von  Hauser 
as  softly. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

ALISE  SOLVES  HERS 

TEMPLE  wrote;  and  his  letter  reached  the  Regent 
in  the  evening.  By  this  time  Cavari  had  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  General  Mainz's  force 
lay  between  the  Castle  and  the  Suabian,  while  Colonel 
Frankel  was  threatening  the  advance  of  the  men  of 
Montrais. 

The  dispositions  of  the  grand-ducal  army  were  favor- 
able, and  yet  the  Chancellor's  heart  was  heavy.  He 
had  not  seen  the  Princess  since  his  intrusion  into  the 
nursery,  but  he  was  in  touch  with  her  movements  by 
means  of  his  elaborate  system  of  espionage.  If  the 
Englishman  had  not  escaped,  he  would  have  been 
comparatively  at  ease,  but  that  untoward  event  gave 
him  pause.  He  moved  about,  haunted  by  an  evil  fore- 
boding of  disaster.  Nothing  had  happened  yet,  nothing 
save  the  madness  of  the  Princess.  He  tore  in  pieces 
the  paper  he  had  been  reading  in  futile  anger  at  the 
emotional  folly  of  woman.  Yet  there  was  no  reason 
why  anything  should  happen.  He  reflected.  He  was 
sure  of  his  agents ;  and  the  only  two  persons  who  shared 
his  dread  secret  were  absolutely  to  be  trusted.  Dr. 
Lemercier,  who  had  been  called  into  the  web  of  the 
plot,  was  bound  to  his  cause  by  self-interest,  the  other 
by  fear.  He  thought  of  that  other,  gaunt,  bleak,  and 
silent,  and  saw  her  white  face  and  trembling  hands. 


298  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

She  had  always  been  afraid.  No,  there  was  no  danger 
from  his  confederates,  who  had  every  reason  to  hide 
their  own  participation  in  a  bold  and  stupendous  plot. 

The  Chancellor  opened  the  dispatch  from  Colonel 
Frankel,  and  almost  as  he  did  so  in  another  room  the 
Princess  was  opening  her  letter. 

"  Votre  Altesse"  he  had  written,  and  his  words  of 
thanks  looked  bare  and  meager  and  bloodless  to  him 
.  .  .  but  he  squared  himself  to  his  task. 

"You  cried  that  you  did  not  want  bloodshed,  that 
you  were  not  fitted  for  it.  Thank  God,  you  are  not. 
Yet  blood  will  flow  and  bathe  this  beautiful  land  unless 
a  miracle  happens.  I  wonder  if  that  miracle  will  hap- 
pen. I  want  it  to  happen.  As  one  who  also  feels  the 
horror  of  bloodshed,  I  beg  you  will  do  these  two  things. 
Ask  the  under-nurse,  whose  name  is  Carlotta,  for  the 
brooch  which  she  found  by  the  bed  of  the  Grand  Duch- 
ess, your  sister.  Keep  it;  for  it  bears  the  device  of  the 
Valences,  Dukes  of  Collingham.  When  you  have  this, 
confront  the  head  nurse,  whose  name  I  don't  know,  and 
inquire  of  her  where  is  the  child  of  the  unknown 
woman  who  died  in  Waldthal  Castle.  I  myself  hope 
to  put  that  question  to  his  Excellency  the  Chancellor." 

The  Princess  read  in  bewilderment,  unable  to  make 
out  the  drift  of  this  strange  communication,  unable  to 
see  any  connection  between  its  various  parts,  any 
coherence  in  it.  Was  it  possible ? 

She  read  again,  and  then  rang  for  an  attendant. 

"Send  Carlotta  to  me,"  she  commanded;  and  to 
the  girl,  when  she  arrived  shrinking  and  terrified,  "  Give 
me  the  brooch  you  picked  up  by  the  bed  of  her  High- 
ness the  Grand  Duchess." 

It  was  like  obeying  the  instructions  in  a  fairy-tale. 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  299 

Carlotta  fell  on  her  knees  weeping  and  poured  out 
her  tale.  She  had  designed  to  do  no  wrong.  She  had 
not  taken  it  for  herself.  The  Grand  Duke  always 
wore  it  by  night.  The  Princess  cut  the  pleas  and  the 
tears  short,  and  dispatched  her  for  the  brooch. 

"It  bears  the  device  of  the  Valences."  More  and 
more  did  she  seem  wrapped  in  a  fairy-tale.  And  what 
was  this  next  instruction?  "Inquire  of  her  where  is 
the  child  of  the  unknown  woman  who  died  in  Waldthal 
Castle." 

The  nurse,  bleak,  gray-faced,  and  wonderfully  silent 
in  her  walk,  entered  the  boudoir  as  Carlotta  left,  her 
eyes  red,  her  cheeks  stained  with  tears.  She  entered 
without  suspicion,  concluding  that  the  Princess  had 
had  to  administer  a  rebuke  to  the  careless  girl.  She 
found  the  Princess  regarding  a  brooch  with  wondering 
eyes.  These  were  turned  upwards  on  the  newcomer 
with  something  shining  and  expectant  in  them.  What 
should  come  of  this  second  instruction  from  fairy- 
land? 

"Where  is  the  child  of  the  unknown  woman  who 
died  in  Waldthal  Castle?" 

The  Princess's  voice  was  devoid  of  color;  it  was 
clear,  even,  and  monotonous.  She  spoke  as  the  pup- 
pet of  Fate.  The  woman  before  her  blanched  and  shook. 
She  put  out  a  hand,  and  clutched  at  a  chair. 

"The  child?"  she  repeated  weakly. 

Alise  looked  on  her  with  a  growing  excitement. 

"  The  child,"  she  repeated.    "  Speak ! " 

The  woman  groaned.  "His  Excellency  did  not  tell 
you,"  she  stammered.  "The  child  is  safe.  .  .  .  You 
know.  .  .  .  The  Grand  Duke  died  with  his  mother. 
.  The  child " 


300  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

Comprehension  out  of  these  agitated,  broken,  and 
almost  hysterical  words  flashed  on  the  listener  in  a 
moment  —  flashed  and  struck  her  like  the  stroke  of 
lightning. 

"The  child,  the  Grand  Duke  is  hers!"  she  said  in 
a  voice  bewildered  and  tense  with  emotion. 

"It  was  the  Chancellor,"  the  woman  got  out.  "I 
was  sworn  to  secrecy.  He  said  it  was  necessary  for 

the  safety  of  Eisenburg.    The  doctor "    She  found 

she  was  speaking  to  an  empty  chamber. 

Her  agitation  carried  the  Princess  swiftly  from  the 
room,  heedless  of  all  else  but  her  bewildered  feelings. 
She  sped  down  the  corridors  towards  the  nurseries,  and 
entered.  In  the  golden  cradle,  under  the  charge  of  one 
of  the  under-nurses,  slept  the  infant  whom  she  had 
regarded  as  her  sister's  child,  as  the  lawful  inheritor 
of  the  grand-duchy,  as  her  special  and  State-appointed 
charge.  And  looking  down  at  him,  it  seemed  to  her 
now  that  she  saw  nothing  of  the  Wolfgangs,  nothing 
of  her  own  race  in  him.  She  wondered  why  she  had 
not  previously  remarked  on  the  alien  features  and 
the  alien  coloring.  "  Drugged  with  slumber  and  milk" 
the  babe  awaited  the  day  of  the  Lord.  That  day  had 
dawned.  Alise  of  Astra  turned  away,  a  sinking  in  her 
heart,  a  strange  feeling  of  vacancy,  of  emptiness  in  her 
mind.  She  was  no  longer  Regent;  she  had  no  place 
there,  no  right  there.  She  remembered  how  she  had 
proudly  welcomed  the  privilege  and  the  responsibility 
devolving  on  her  by  her  sister's  death.  She  would 
accept  the  office  which  God  in  His  mysterious  provi- 
dence had  thrown  upon  her,  and  she  would  be  a  faith- 
ful custodian  of  the  child,  bereft  of  parents,  and  called 
to  such  a  high  estate.  She  was  nothing  now,  only  Alise, 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  301 

and  after  the  first  bitter  moments  of  reaction  she  was 
glad. 

"I  do  not  want  this  bloodshed,"  she  had  said,  and 
Sir  Philip  had  repeated  it  in  his  letter.  Well,  this  should 
prevent  bloodshed.  She  started.  She  must  act  at  once. 
She  returned  to  her  rooms,  but  the  nurse  had  fled.  What 
did  it  matter  ?  She  was  merely  the  creature  of  a  crafty 
and  treacherous  man.  But  he  should  pay  the  penalty 
of  his  crime.  She  wrote,  not  at  length,  but  a  short, 
formal  letter,  and  addressed  it  to  his  Highness  Prince 
Albrecht  of  Suabia.  Within  ten  minutes  Captain 
du  Vallon  was  riding  with  it  on  his  way  to  Maagen. 

Von  Hauser  always  had  several  ways  to  his  object, 
and  he  was  not  likely  to  trust  to  one  barrel  when  he 
could  use  two.  It  was  good  that  Sir  Philip  Temple 
should  make  trial  by  his  letter,  but  he  had  no  intention 
of  depending  on  the  success  of  that  measure.  There 
were  no  proofs  of  the  Great  Plot,  but  that  did  not  pre- 
vent action  being  taken.  Von  Hauser,  like  Cavari,  had 
his  channels  open,  and  more  especially  connecting 
with  the  capital,  in  which  the  Suabian  Pretender  had 
a  following  of  some  importance.  On  the  night  on  which 
the  Princess  read  her  letter  an  astounding  rumor  spread 
in  the  city.  It  started  no  one  knew  whence,  and  ran 
like  the  fire  across  furze.  Men  whispered  it  in  the 
market-place,  discussed  it  over  dinner-tables,  and 
bruited  it  further  to  the  winds  of  heaven.  Of  the  two 
papers  in  Eisenburg,  one  was  devoted  to  the  Court 
and  the  established  conditions ;  but  the  other  was  freer, 
more  unfettered,  and,  circulating  among  commercial 
classes,  had  even  a  German  bias  towards  confederation. 
It  was  this  latter  that  appeared  with  the  hint  of  a  grave 
crisis  in  the  dynastic  fortunes  of  the  Wolfgangs.  It 


302  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

was  not  an  express  statement;  it  was  guarded,  and 
wrapt  in  cunning  veils;  but  to  those  who  had  heard  the 
rumor  (and  who  had  not  ?)  the  article  could  only  mean 
one  thing.  And  seeing  in  print  what  each  had  only 
dared  to  whisper,  the  Eisenburgers  were  emboldened 
to  speak  openly,  to  wonder,  and  even  to  credit.  The 
news  of  this  state  of  feeling  in  the  capital  reached  Wald- 
thal  and  the  Chancellor  at  a  critical  moment.  Panic- 
stricken  and  hysterical,  his  accomplice  had  escaped 
from  the  Princess's  rooms  to  pour  forth  her  story,  and 
crave  protection.  The  Regent  knew  all  about  the  sub- 
stitution; she  had  cross-questioned  her,  and  had  shown 
her  knowledge.  That  she  herself  had  been  instrumental 
in  revealing  the  fraud  to  the  Regent  she  never  discovered 
to  him,  and  probably  in  her  fright  she  had  not  known 
that  she  had  betrayed  herself.  The  confederates  eyed 
each  other  grayly,  the  man  with  a  rigid  face,  the  woman's 
fallen  and  shaking. 

"The  child  was  handed  to  you  by  Dr.  Lemercier," 
said  the  Chancellor  in  a  harsh  voice.  "It  is  the  child 
of  the  Grand  Duchess.  You  will  swear  to  that  before 
any  court.  Dr.  Lemercier  and  I  will  testify  to  the  same 
effect." 

But  when  the  report  came  over  the  wires  to  his  private 
office,  he  felt  in  his  heart  that  the  game  was  up.  Was 
it  this  Englishman  ?  How  had  the  Princess  discovered  ? 
Old  and  worn  and  white,  he  sat  in  the  chair  before  his 
desk,  contemplating  the  past  and  the  future  with  sad 
eyes.  Favorable  reports  as  to  the  positions  of  the  army 
came  in  while  he  sat  there,  but  there  was  little  comfort 
in  those  if  he  was  to  lose  on  another  count.  He  had 
staked  everything  on  one  bold  act,  decided  upon,  not 
suddenly  or  on  an  impulse,  but  after  long  debate,  when 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  303 

Chance  or  Fate  had  seemed  to  offer  the  opportunity. 
All  his  life  he  had  fought  against  the  growing  influence 
of  Germany;  all  his  life  and  with  all  his  might  he  had 
struggled  to  keep  Eisenburg  independent,  out  of  the 
arms  of  its  powerful  neighbor.  To  save  Eisenburg  had 
become  a  religion  with  him,  a  faith,  for  which  no  sacri- 
fice was  too  great.  Whatever  there  was  about  his  means, 
there  was  nothing  sordid  in  his  ideal.  Forty  years  had 
he  served  the  Wolfgangs,  through  the  lives  and  reigns 
of  three  Grand  Dukes;  and  the  end  was  here.  With 
the  Princess  crediting  the  story,  with  this  rumor  setting 
the  capital  ablaze,  there  was  no  hope  left.  His  scheme 
had  tottered  and  fallen  in  ruins  about  him.  Yet  he 
could  not  see  it  perish  without  one  heroic  effort  to  save 
it.  If  the  Princess  could  be  persuaded  !  It  was  an  hour 
since  the  nurse  had  left  him,  yet  the  Regent  would  not 
know  that.  She  would  suppose  he  had  heard  from 
the  capital;  he  would  take  her  the  news.  It  was  his 
duty  to  do  so. 

When  the  Chancellor,  composed  of  face,  rigid  of 
mien,  and  respectful  as  ever,  was  admitted  to  audience 
of  the  Princess,  he  found  her  writing.  She  did  not  rise, 
but  gravely  and  coldly  acknowledged  his  salutation. 
Alise  had  thought  of  many  things  since  the  amazing 
discovery.  Her  brain,  quick  at  any  time,  if  precipitate, 
had  been  stimulated  after  the  first  flood  of  emotion. 
She  had  picked  out  all  the  inner  significance  of  Temple's 
letter,  and  she  had  had  time  also  to  consider  how  she 
stood  to  it  all.  She  did  not  receive  Cavari  with  the 
furious  indignation  which  her  earlier  impulses  dictated. 
She  hated  him,  but  newer  feelings  had  intervened  to 
prevent  this  hatred  from  showing  itself.  It  was  con- 
gealed and  passive,  as  she  turned  cold  eyes  on  him. 


304  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

"You  desire  to  see  me,  Count?"  she  asked. 

"I  have  come  to  report  to  your  Highness  that  an 
absurd  and  grotesque  rumor  is  in  circulation  in  Eisen- 
burg,  spread  doubtless  by  the  Suabian's  machinations, 
that  his  Highness  the  Grand  Duke  is  not  the  son  of  the 
late  Grand  Duke." 

She  had  not  expected  this,  but  it  made  no  difference. 

"You  mean  they  say  in  the  capital  that  he  is  an  im- 
postor," she  said  in  blunt  terms. 

"That  is  the  unscrupulous  report  spread  by  our 
enemies,  a  mischievous  report  which,  unless  energetic 
measures  are  taken  to  stamp  it  out,  will  do  considerable 
harm." 

"You  are  taking  energetic  measures?"  asked  the 
Princess  in  the  same  cold  voice  of  inquiry. 

"I  have  done  all  that  occurred  to  me  as  advisable," 
he  replied;  "but  there  is  one  thing  which  is  most  ad- 
visable of  all" — he  paused,  and  her  merciless  eyes 
raked  him  — "  that  you  should  issue  a  statement  in 
your  name  to  show  the  folly  of  this  rumor." 

"I  have  already  issued  a  statement  in  my  name" 
the  Princess's  voice  sounded  almost  harsh  —  "  to  show 
the  truth  of  this  rumor." 

The  Chancellor  started.  A  blow  like  this  fell  with 
double  weight  from  its  suddenness. 

"What  does  your  Highness  mean?"  he  demanded. 

"  It  is  time  we  were  done  with  pretenses  between  us," 
cried  Alise,  and  extended  a  hand.  "See,  do  you  know 
what  cognizance  that  is  ?  It  is  the  crest  of  the  Dukes  of 
Collingham,  and  this  brooch  was  picked  up  by  the  bed 
of  the  woman  whose  son  is  sleeping  in  the  royal  nursery. 
The  woman  was  Lady  Stroud,  and  the  child  that  is 
called  Louis  XXV  is  her  son.  That"— she  dwelt 
on  the  word  —  "  was  known  to  you." 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  305 

"  Will  your  Highness  permit  me  to  inquire  the  origin 
of  this  amazing  cock-and-bull  story?"  said  the  Chan- 
cellor without  any  change  of  voice. 

"I  —  know,  I  tell  you  I  know,"  cried  the  Princess. 
"The  woman,  your  accomplice,  has  confessed.  The 
nurse,  Carlotta,  picked  up  the  brooch.  It  is  all  demon- 
strable. I  have  communicated  with  Prince  Albrecht. 
There  is  no  Grand  Duke  here.  He  is  the  lawful  Grand 
Duke." 

"You  have  communicated  with  the  Pretender!" 
he  exclaimed  in  a  louder  voice.  "Then,  madam,  you 
have  betrayed  your  trust.  The  blood  of  Eisenburg 
be  on  your  head!" 

Alise's  cold  mask  dropped  from  her  at  that.  She 
wheeled  on  him. 

"  You  dare  talk  of  bloodshed  —  you  who  would 
have  sown  the  country-side  with  the  blood  of  thousands 
to  gain  your  object ! "  She  remembered  Temple.  "  You 
would  pass  through  crime,  through  assassination  and 
murder,  to  your  goal.  How  do  you  reconcile  that  with 
your  conscience?  I  believe  in  simple  justice,  and  in 
single  justice.  You  —  you  —  She  broke  off. 

"Yet  I  believe  you  have  loved  Eisenburg,  but  as  it 
should  not  be  loved.  What  good  or  happiness  or  pros- 
perity could  come  of  living  a  lie  ?  Go  now,  before  what 
is  due  from  you  is  required  to  be  exacted  of  you." 

The  Chancellor  stirred.    He  made  a  rally. 

"I  remain,"  he  said,  not  without  dignity,  as  he  left 
the  room,  "  that  I  may  be  at  the  call  of  the  State  when 
she  needs  me" 

But  when  the  news  reached  the  Castle  concerning 
the  disaffection  among  the  troops  of  General  Mainz, 
and  it  was  reported  that  a  rising  had  taken  place  in 


306  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

the  capital,  the  Count  recognized  the  end,  and  bowed 
to  Fate.  He  was  an  affectionate  husband  and  father, 
and  he  realized  the  perils  in  which  his  family  would  be 
placed  in  Eisenburg  by  this  latter  development.  He 
was  first  of  all  a  practical  man,  and  though  it  was  prob- 
able that  his  failure  in  this  great  coup  would  prove  his 
death,  he  saw  no  reason  why  it  should  prove  his  death 
forthright  by  violence.  It  was  in  the  early  dawn  that  he, 
like  Sir  Philip  Temple  only  twenty-four  hours  previously, 
made  his  escape.  His  motor-car  took  the  road  for  the 
capital,  where  he  designed  to  call  for  his  wife  and 
daughter  on  his  way  across  the  frontier.  It  was  a  haz- 
ardous enterprize,  but  the  Count  was  no  coward. 

A  mile  below  Waldthal  the  car  was  held  up  by  a 
reconnoitering  party  from  Albrecht's  advancing  forces. 
General  Mainz  was  paralyzed.  The  strange  reports 
out  of  the  capital  spread  among  his  men  wildly,  and 
though  an  official  statement  circulated  by  the  Chan- 
cellor followed  these,  there  were  still  uncertainty  and 
gossip.  Immediately  upon  that  Von  Hauser  moved 
again.  He  caused  a  copy  of  the  Princess's  letter  to 
Prince  Albrecht  to  be  sent  in  under  flag  of  truce  to  the 
General.  Mainz  knew  not  what  to  do.  If  this  were 
correct,  the  Regent  acknowledged  the  Pretender.  He 
dared  not  act  on  his  own  responsibility,  especially  as 
some  of  his  regiments  showed  signs  of  mutiny.  So  he 
ended  by  doing  nothing,  and  allowed  the  Suabian  to 
cut  him  off  from  Waldthal.  Among  the  advancing 
troops  of  the  German  party  was  Sir  Philip  Temple,  who 
had  not  after  all  gone  to  Constantia.  He  rode  in  front 
with  the  reconnoiterers,  anxious  to  reach  the  Castle. 
So  far,  indeed,  he  felt  he  had  been  justified  of  his  plan. 
No  blood  had  been  shed.  He  admired  and  wondered 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  307 

at  the  resolution  of  the  Princess,  who  had  taken  such 
decisive  action  at  once. 

In  the  gray  light  he  saw  the  motor-car.  It  was  fate's 
ironic  revenge.  This,  quoth  one  soldier  to  another, 
is  a  person  of  consequence.  He  must  be  stayed  and 
held.  Temple  pressed  forward,  where  a  cross-examina- 
tion was  in  progress. 

"Who  are  you?" 

"I  am  a  gentleman  traveling  on  private  business 
to  the  capital.  Kindly  order  your  men  to  release " 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  eyes  of  the  two  men 
met,  the  fallen  Chancellor  and  his  destined  victim. 
A  slight  smile  flickered  on  Philip's  visage,  but  the 
Chancellor  gazed  unmoved  at  him.  He  was  a  man 
who  would  die  hard  and  stark. 

"This  is  a  gentleman  I  know,"  said  Temple  at  last. 
"It  is  as  he  says.  Let  him  go.  You  have  more  im- 
portant affairs  to  consider." 

This  was  the  suggestion  of  a  person  in  high  favor, 
as  was  known,  with  Prince  Albrecht,  and  he  spoke 
authoritatively.  The  men  released  the  car,  and  it  moved 
forward.  Cavari  never  turned  his  head,  nor  acknowl- 
edged Temple's  interference  by  any  sign  whatever. 
Perhaps,  the  latter  reflected,  as  he  rode  on,  that  inter- 
vention had  been  almost  a  sufficient  penalty  for  the 
Chancellor  to  suffer. 

As  it  fell  out,  Albrecht  arrived  at  the  Castle  first. 
A  young  man  of  eager  and  active  habit,  he  could  not 
be  restrained  from  a  personal  interview  with  the  Prin- 
cess in  which  to  render  thanks. 

"  Not  only  thanks,"  he  declared  to  her,  "  but  homage 
to  the  most  loyal  spirit  I  have  ever  met." 

He  felt  enthusiastic,  and  he  showed  his  feelings.    The 


308  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

impulsive  letter  of  the  Regent  surrendering  her  au- 
thority had  touched  him  deeply.  But  the  Princess  had 
no  liking  for  him.  To  her  he  still  appeared  in  the 
dimensions  of  a  usurper;  nor  could  she  forget  that  he 
had  aspired  to  the  grand-ducal  throne  when  he  had 
been  ignorant  of  his  rights.  He  left  her  slightly  daunted, 
to  recover  as  was  easy  to  his  mercurial  temperament. 
She  felt  herself  a  stranger,  an  interloper.  This  was  the 
Suabian's  castle,  and  she  had  no  home  in  it,  no  rights. 
Her  thoughts  returned  to  Astra,  where  her  much- 
embarrassed  brother  struggled  with  the  responsibilities 
of  a  poor  soil  and  an  impoverished  exchequer. 

The  Suabian's  soldiery  took  possession  of  Waldthal 
without  violence  or  display;  Von  Hauser  did  not  desire 
that  they  should  make  their  entrance  in  the  light  of 
conquerors,  but  as  those  with  natural  rights.  There 
was  no  one  to  oppose  them,  and  so  render  force  neces- 
sary. The  Chancellor's  flight  had  left  no  one  at  the 
helm,  and  it  was  known  that  the  Regent  had  abdicated. 
Captain  du  Vallon  encountered  Temple  some  time 
after  the  arrival  of  the  latter,  and  greeted  him  with 
sad  resignation. 

"It  is  all  over;  there  are  no  more  Wolfgangs.  The 
line  is  ended.  My  friend,  you  who  drank  with  me  to 
the  birth  of  the  Grand  Duke  must  not  mock  me  now." 

"  I  have  no  disposition  to  do  that,"  Temple  assured 
him.  "  I  regret  the  denouement." 

"Yet  it  was  you,  they  say,  who  was  instrumental  in 
making  the  terrible  discovery." 

"Fate  used  me,"  said  Philip.  "I  did  not  seek  to 
become  her  instrument." 

Du  Vallon  shook  his  handsome  head.  "All  the  glory 
is  gone.  We  have  been  cheated.  His  Excellency  has 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  309 

made  us  the  laughing-stock  of  Europe.  There  is  noth- 
ing to  live  for.  It  was  I  who  took  her  Highness's  abdi- 
cation to  the  Prince.  I  too  was  an  instrument  of  Fate." 
The  Captain's  drooping  spirits  revived.  "I  like  his 
Highness.  He  is  a  man;  he  is  gay.  Oh,  he  is  every 
inch  a  ruler." 

And  down  the  avenue  of  time  Temple  could  see  in 
his  mind's  eye  Captain  Constantine  du  Vallon  sworn 
to  the  service  of  Prince  Albrecht,  and  conscientiously 
loyal  to  the  new  Grand  Duke.  Eisenburg  would  adapt 
itself.  Nothing  of  importance  had  happened,  and  no 
blood  had  been  shed.  He  had  a  mission  at  the  Castle 
which  he  acknowledged  to  himself,  and  one  which  he 
would  not  admit.  After  dejeuner  in  the  Prince's  suite, 
he  set  about  the  first.  Von  Hauser  had  lost  no  time  in 
restoring  order,  and,  though  there  were  excitement  and 
confusion,  an  organization  reigned  once  more  in  Wald- 
thal  Castle.  Under  permission  Temple  sought  the 
nursery.  He  had  not  overlooked  the  enormous  impor- 
tance of  his  discovery  to  Lady  Augusta's  old  friend 
the  Duke  of  Collingham.  What  news  had  been  flashed 
along  the  cables  to  the  public  prints  of  Europe  he 
knew  not,  but  it  seemed  fitting  that  he  should  communi- 
cate with  the  Duke  personally.  He  entered  the  nursery 
after  displaying  his  permit,  and  came  face  to  face  with 
the  Princess. 

Alise,  after  her  troubled  night,  had  awakened  to  an 
empty  life.  She  had  no  mission  now,  and  a  sense  of 
lassitude  pervaded  her.  She  kept  her  rooms,  and  wrote 
letters  —  to  her  brother,  the  Duke  of  Astra,  to  certain 
friends,  and  to  the  Duke  of  Collingham.  This  last 
letter  set  her  thinking.  She  was  not  given  to  intro- 
spection, but  she  wondered  now  how  she  felt  towards  the 


310  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

child  she  had  supposed  to  be  her  sister's.  Strong 
curiosity  mingling  with  an  indefinite  emotion  and  even 
something  of  fear  drew  her  to  the  nursery,  where  the 
infant  with  his  vacant  blue  eyes  was  awake  in  his  cot. 
Had  she  really  cared  for  this  tiny  fragment  of  mortality, 
or  had  she  cared  for  something  else,  something  amor- 
phous and  vague,  a  sentiment  composed  of  fleeting 
family  pride,  of  ambition,  and  sisterly  affection  ?  Never 
again  would  she  be  ambitious.  She  had  come  in  too 
coarse  contact  with  dreadful  realities. 

Nevertheless,  as  she  looked  down  at  the  child,  the 
dispassion  and  remoteness  of  her  mood  changed.  This 
babe,  which  she  could  contemplate  now  with  indiffer- 
ence, with  serene  aloofness,  became  suddenly  invested 
with  a  newer,  a  stranger,  and  even  a  stronger  significance. 
A  tiny,  delicate  hand  moved  helplessly,  and  at  that  a 
gush  of  inexplicable  feeling  overcame  her.  Her  eyes 
filled;  she  was  surcharged  with  some  emotion  she  did 
not  understand.  There  was  no  room  in  the  situation 
for  family  pride.  Was  it  pity?  She  could  not  say,  as 
the  tears  welled  into  her  eyes,  and  drew  a  small  sob 
from  her  bosom,  at  the  sound  of  which,  starting,  she 
looked  up  and  saw  Temple. 

He  bowed  silently,  and  after  a  moment  said  softly: 

"  You  do  not  grudge  what  was  done  —  the  down- 
fall  r?" 

She  shook  her  head.  "You  did  what  was  right," 
she  answered.  "There  is  no  virtue  in  a  lie.  It  was 
all  deceit  and  treachery,"  and  after  a  moment,  "  I  have 
written  to  the  Duke  of  Collingham." 

"Thank  you,"  he  said  simply;  and  there  fell  a  silence 
between  them.  In  a  little  he  added : 

"  The  bloodshed  has  not  occurred." 


ALISE  SOLVES  HERS  311 

"No,"  she  said  impulsively,  "I  understood.  It  is 
you  who  have  saved  it." 

"  Not  I,  but  you,"  he  corrected.  "  You  who  released 
me  from  prison,  and  took  that  obloquy  upon  you." 

"  I  was  Regent  —  then,"  she  exclaimed  a  little  bitterly. 

He  looked  at  her  curiously.  "Do  you  regret?"  he 
asked. 

She  turned  her  shining  eyes  on  him,  shining  with 
tears.  " No,"  she  said,  "I  —  I  have  no  ambition.  I 
had  once,  but  that  was  when  I  was  a  girl.  I  did  not 
dream  of  what  life  and  power  meant.  I  am  a  woman 
now,  and  only  a  woman." 

Temple  was  strangely  moved.  He  knew  now,  and 
he  acknowledged  it  fiercely,  defiantly,  in  every  tissue 
of  his  body,  the  real  mission  which  had  brought  him 
back  to  Waldthal.  But  he  stood  tense  before  her,  his 
quiet  eyes  alive  with  something  she  had  never  seen 
there  previously. 

"Why,"  he  asked,  and  his  voice  was  exquisitely 
modulated  and  low  —  "  why  did  you  release  me, 
Princess  ?  " 

She  looked  across  the  cradle  at  him,  and  then  down 
at  the  child  with  its  vacant  blue  eyes  and  wandering 
hands. 

"You  were  wrongly  condemned,"  she  answered. 

"How  did  you  know?"  he  persisted.  "You  had 
seen  me  at  Sturm  with  the  Prince." 

"  I  knew,"  she  replied  quite  low. 

Great  and  habitual  as  was  his  self-control,  he  knew 
it  was  breaking,  and  he  did  not  heed.  Nay,  he  rejoiced 
in  it. 

The  Princess  looked  at  the  infant,  and  her  eyes  were 
as  unseeing  as  the  babe's.  She  did  not  see,  yet  she  was 


312  ALISE  OF  ASTRA 

aware  that  Philip  had  moved,  and  stood  by  her,  not 
opposite  to  her  across  the  cradle. 

"There  is  only  one  reason  why  you  could  have 
known,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  shook.  "  It  was  that, 
it  was  that,  Princess.  But  how  dare  I?  Yet  if  I  go 
hence,  turning  aside,  and  go  with  that  knowledge  in 
my  heart,  it  will  be  some  comfort  in  all  the  years  to 
come.  You  cannot  rob  me  of  that." 

"I  would  not  rob  you,"  she  murmured. 

He  took  her  hand,  and  lifted  it  to  his  lips  as  he  had 
done  once  before. 

"  I  will  go  with  that  assurance,"  he  exclaimed,  "  with 
that  light  in  my  heart  that  will  not  go  out.  You  said 
you  believed  in  me  always.  That  is  enough." 

Alise  sobbed.  "  Oh,  forget  what  I  have  been,  and 
remember  only  what  I  am,"  she  cried. 

"You — what  are  you?"  he  asked  in  amazement, 
all  his  body  pulsing. 

"A  woman,"  she  murmured,  turning  her  face  from 
him. 

"I  will  not  go  from  you,  if  you  are  only  a  woman," 
he  said  tensely. 

"  No,  do  not  go,"  pleaded  Alise,  and  trembled  as  he 
took  her  into  his  arms. 


THE   END 


F^K,, 


"000129346 


